Reciprocal Synapses at the Base of Outer Hair Cells in the Organ of Corti of Man

Abstract

Reciprocal synapses have been found between nerve terminals and the outer hair cells in the human organ of Corti. A single nerve ending of the nonvesiculated type may possess two types of synaptic specialization of opposite polarity. The first is typical of the “afferent” synapse with a presynaptic body in the hair cell and pre- and postsynaptic membrane thickening. The second consists of a small collection of presynaptic vesicles in the neural cytoplasm near the plasma membrane facing the hair cell and a subsynaptic cisterna within the hair cell cytoplasm. The second type of specialization is similar to the synapses seen in “efferent” endings. This suggests that both an afferent (hair cell to neuron) and efferent (neuron to hair cell) synaptic relationship may exist between an outer hair cell and a single nerve terminal.

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