OTOACOUSTIC EMISSIONS IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN

耳声发射（OAE）是一种源于 内耳，并可以测量与插入麦克风放置在 耳道这些反应可以被快速和非侵入性地记录下来， 不能从听力损失低至25 dB的耳朵测量。 由于这些原因，许多研究人员主张OAE作为一种 可能的测试来诊断婴儿听力损失。许多中心 目前正在研究在新生儿中使用OAE的可能性 幼儿园筛查听力损失，但很少有人注意到， 旨在了解婴儿OAE的成熟变化， 2岁。更好地理解OAE是至关重要的， 婴儿在这个群体中获得最大的益处。 这项研究的主要目的是纵向研究耳声发射 从出生到2岁。这些研究的基本原理 初步数据和其他研究人员的数据表明， 瞬态诱发，失真产品和自发OAE测量， 婴儿的水平和频率含量高于那些 测量年龄较大的儿童，即使是那些只有2岁，和成人。的 激发这些研究的假设是调查以下可能性： 耳蜗本身在出生后继续发育。OAE被认为是 是耳蜗生物力学活动的反映，因此， 这是一个很好的测试耳蜗是否独立于 在出生后成熟。研究还表明 多频鼓室图随年龄变化，这一直是一个 中耳发育变化的迹象。相关性 多频鼓室图变化与耳声发射变化之间的关系 个体受试者将表明OAE的哪些变化可能是由于 中耳成熟的影响。DPOAE和COAE之间的相关性 也将被测试，这将导致更好地理解诱发 OAE。这些实验会产生一个实际的附带问题， 确定诱发婴儿DPOAE的最佳刺激参数， 临床有用的结果。这些研究将提供 关于婴儿听觉系统发育的信息， 这些措施将导致听力损失的识别在一个非常 人生的关键时期。

Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are acoustic responses that originate from the inner ear and can be measured with an insert microphone placed in the ear canal. These responses can be recorded quickly and noninvasively, and cannot be measured from ears having as little as 25 dB of hearing loss. For these reasons, OAEs are being advocated by many researchers as a possible test for diagnosing hearing loss in infants. Many centers are currently investigating the possibility of using OAEs in neonatal nurseries to screen for hearing loss, but little attention has been directed to understanding maturational changes of OAEs in infants to the age of 2 years. It is essential that a better understanding of OAEs in infants be gained to be maximally beneficial in this population. The main purpose of the proposed research is to study OAEs longitudinally from birth to two years of age in humans. The rationale for these studies is that preliminary data as well as those from other researchers indicate that transient-evoked, distortion product and spontaneous OAEs measured in infants have greater levels and higher frequency content than those measured in older children, even those aged only 2 years, and adults. The hypothesis motivating these studies is to investigate the possibility that the cochlea itself continues to develop post-natally. OAEs are thought to be a reflection of biomechanical activity from the cochlea, and thus, are an excellent measure to test whether the cochlea, independent of maturation of mylenization, matures post-natally. Research has also shown that multifrequency tympanograms change with age, which has been an indication of developmental changes of the middle ear. Correlations between changes in multifrequency tympanograms and changes in OAEs in individual subjects will suggest which changes in the OAEs could be due to influences of middle ear maturation. Correlations between DPOAEs and COAEs will also be tested which will lead to better understanding of evoked OAEs. One practical side issue will result from these experiments, which is to determine optimal stimulus parameters to evoke DPOAEs in infants, a clinically useful outcome. In combination, these studies will provide information about development of the auditory system in infants and measures that will lead to identification of hearing loss at a very critical period in human life.