ACOUSTIC RESPONSES OF COCHLEA AND MIDDLE EAR

描述(来自申请者的建议)：拟议研究的主要主题是在使用耳道声学响应测试的基础上增加我们对人类中耳和耳蜗组织的了解。这类测试本质上是非侵入性的，因此希望在听力基本机制方面获得的知识将对临床应用具有重要意义。第一个目标是研究新形式的耳声发射(OAE)，这将提供对基底膜上的机械过程的更清楚的了解。OAE瞬变的时频表示将描绘出以音调组织的耳蜗动力学的精细结构，否则这一精细结构会被传统的波形或频谱表示部分掩盖。第二个目标是使用权力转移方法以综合方式评估中耳和耳蜗机制。这种方法将结合宽带鼓室导纳、耳声反射和耳声发射测量的各个方面来解释从耳道通过中耳到耳蜗再回到耳道的能量流。第三个目标是将这些新的耳声发射类型和表现形式以及能量转移方法应用于对正常耳朵、中耳和耳蜗病患耳朵的大规模研究。其目标是改进预测传导性、耳蜗性和混合性听力损失的技术，并更好地了解如何将声响应变量组合在一起，例如跨频率或耳道内的静态压力，以便了解正常和受损耳朵的基本耳蜗力学和中耳力学和耦合。所提出的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识别传导性或耳蜗性听力损失的能力。

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.