Dynamic changes in hair cell stereocilia and cochlear transduction after noise exposure

► We found stereocilia of auditory hair cells can survive moderate acoustic trauma and recovered their cochlear transduction. ► This recovery in morphology corresponds well with the functional recovery in cochlear microphonics and is probably responsible for the sensitivity recovery from TTS to PTS. ► Despite no loss of hair cell, PTS exists, it may be attribute to the sub-lethal damage of hair cell. ► We explore silver nitrate staining to quantify the stereocilia damage, the cochleogram directly reflects the morphologic changes after noise exposure.