An electrical resonance in hair cells of the amphibian papilla of the frog Rana temporaria.

Intracellular recordings were made from hair cells in the rostral- and mid-regions of an in vitro preparation of the amphibian papilla from the frog Rana temporaria. In response to small current injections the membrane potential oscillated indicating the presence of an electrical resonator within these hair cells. The properties of this resonance were similar to those of electrical resonance in hair cells of other lower vertebrates (Crawford and Fettiplace, 1981). The frequency of these oscillations depended on the position of the cell within the papilla; the oscillation frequency at the offset of the current pulse appeared to be tonotopically organized. The role of this resonance in relation to the known frequency selectivity and tonotopic organization of this auditory organ is discussed.