ACOUSTIC RESPONSES OF COCHLEA AND MIDDLE EAR

描述（来自申请人的提案）：拟议研究的主题是通过使用耳道声反应测试来增加我们对人类中耳和耳蜗的了解。这些测试本身是非侵入性的，因此希望所获得的关于听力基本机制的知识对临床应用有意义。第一个目标是研究耳声发射（OAE）的新形式，这将为基底膜的机械过程提供更清晰的理解。声发射瞬态的时频表征将描述局部组织的耳蜗动力学的精细结构，否则将部分被传统的波形或频谱表征所掩盖。第二个目的是评估中耳和耳蜗机制在一个综合的方式使用权力转移的方法。这种方法将结合宽带鼓室测量、耳反射和声发射测量来解释从耳道经过中耳到耳蜗再返回的能量流。第三个目标是将这些新的声发射类型和表征以及能量转移方法应用于正常耳、中耳和耳蜗损伤耳的大规模研究中。目标是改进预测传导性、耳蜗和混合性听力损失的技术，并更好地理解如何将声学响应变量组合在一起，例如，跨频率或耳道静压，以便了解正常和受损耳朵中潜在的耳蜗和中耳力学和耦合。实验结果将为听觉外周的理论建模提供有用的数据，并可以显著提高我们对传导性或耳蜗性听力损失患者的识别能力。

DESCRIPTION (From applicant's proposal): The main theme of the proposed research is to increase our knowledge of the human middle ear and cochlea based upon the use of acoustic response testing in the ear canal. Such tests are inherently noninvasive so that it is hoped that the knowledge gained on basic mechanisms in hearing will have significance for clinical utilization. The first aim is to examine new forms of otoacoustic emissions (OAE), which will provide a clearer understanding of mechanical processes on the basilar membrane. Time-frequency representations of OAE transients will delineate the fine structure of the tonotopically organized cochlear dynamics, which is otherwise partially obscured by conventional waveform or spectral representations. The second aim is to assess middle-ear and cochlear mechanisms in an integrated manner using a power-transfer approach. Such an approach will combine aspects of wideband tympanometry, otoreflectance and OAE measurements to interpret power flow from the ear canal through the middle ear to the cochlea, and back. The third aim will apply these new types and representations of OAEs and the power-transfer approach in large-scale studies of normal ears, and ears with middle-ear and cochlear impairments. The goal is to improve techniques to predict conductive, cochlear and mixed hearing losses, and to better understand how acoustic response variables can be combined, for example, across frequency or static pressure in the ear canal, in order to understand the underlying cochlear and middle-ear mechanics and coupling in normal and impaired ears. The results of the proposed experiments will provide useful data for theoretical modeling of the auditory periphery, and could significantly improve our ability to identify persons with conductive or cochlear hearing loss.