The cochlear mechanical basis of otoacoustic emissions

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This project will investigate the physical mechanisms underlying sounds that come out of the ears. These sounds, which are known as otoacoustic emissions, are of great scientific interest and potentially huge clinical importance. They provide an objective measure of inner ear function, and are highly relevant to a form of hearing loss that affects over 8 million people in the UK. The project will fund animal experiments (performed on rodents) which will compare the otoacoustic emissions evoked by various combinations of sounds with the mechanical events that are evoked in the inner ear by the same sounds. We will use a purpose-built laser interferometer to monitor the sound-evoked motion of membranes in various parts of the inner ear, and we will combine this with the use of novel combinations of acoustic stimuli to allow us to distinguish between the motion patterns of sounds travelling ?into? and ?out of? the ear. This will allow us to determine exactly where the otoacoustic emissions are produced within the ear, and should lead to significant improvements in the way that we understand the normal ear to function. The mechanisms that we will study, including both the amplification and reflection of sound within the inner ear, are likely to be almost identical to those occurring in humans. The project should therefore be of direct relevance to human hearing. The main outcomes of the study will be reported in internationally-respected scientific journals, and presented at joint scientific and medical conferences in the UK and abroad. The knowledge created during the project will also be incorporated into public presentations about hearing and deafness.