Mechanical noise enhances signal transmission in the bullfrog sacculus.

Noise has been commonly thought to degrade the performance of sensory systems. However, it is now clear that the detection and transmission of weak signals in sensory systems can be enhanced by noise via stochastic resonance (SR). In hair cells, the quality of mechanoelectrical transduction is enhanced up to twofold by nanometer level mechanical noise acting on the hair bundle.

Minireview of stochastic resonance.

We present an introductory overview of the subject of stochastic resonance. As researchers' interest in the phenomenon has spread from physics to biology, new questions both fundamental and practical have emerged. After reviewing some key aspects of the subject, we describe a promising candidate for exploring the possible beneficial effects of random noise in sensory transduction.

Characterization of adaptation motors in saccular hair cells by fluctuation analysis.

The mechanical sensitivity of hair cells, the sensory receptors of the vestibular and auditory systems, is maintained by adaptation, which resets the transducer to cancel the effects of static stimuli. Adaptation motors in hair cells can be experimentally activated by externally applying a transduction channel blocker to the hair bundle, causing the hair bundle to move in the negative direction. We studied the variance in the position of the hair bundle during these displacements and found that it increases as the bundle moves to its new position.