Deiters' cells, also known as outer phalangeal cells or cells of Deiters (), are a cell type found within the
inner ear
The inner ear (internal ear, auris interna) is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In vertebrates, the inner ear is mainly responsible for sound detection and balance. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the ...
. They contain both micro-filaments and micro-tubules which run from the
basilar membrane
The basilar membrane is a stiff structural element within the cochlea of the inner ear which separates two liquid-filled tubes that run along the coil of the cochlea, the scala media and the scala tympani. The basilar membrane moves up and down in ...
to the
reticular membrane
The reticular membrane (RM, also called reticular lamina or apical cuticular plate)Hall p. 51
These cochlear supporting cells include a somatic part, with its ''cupula'', and a ''phalangeal process'', which links the Deiters soma to the reticular lamina. The part of the phalanx which is included in the reticular lamina is the apex of the phalanx (''phalangeal apex'').
The cells are named for
neuroanatomist
Neuroanatomy is the study of the structure and organization of the nervous system. In contrast to animals with radial symmetry, whose nervous system consists of a distributed network of cells, animals with bilateral symmetry have segregated, defin ...
Otto Deiters
Otto Friedrich Karl Deiters (; 15 November 1834 – 5 December 1863) was a German neuroanatomist. He was born in Bonn, studied at the University of Bonn, and spent most of his professional career in Bonn. He is remembered for his microscopic ...
.
References
Bibliography
* Hall, James W. (2000) ''Handbook of otoacoustic emissions'' Singular Publishing
* O. Deiters (1860) ''Untersuchungen uber die Lamina spiralis membranacea'' Henry & Cohen, Bonn
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Auditory system