ACOUSTIC RESPONSES OF THE HUMAN COCHLEA AND MIDDLE EAR

描述(由申请人提供)：本申请的主要目标是使用声学和行为反应的组合来测试机械和行为水平上的听觉处理理论。一个次要的目标是将耳道中非侵入性测量的声学反应与耳蜗和中耳功能联系起来。第一个目的是用实验和理论相结合的方法研究中耳和耳蜗力学之间的关系。将使用刺激频率耳声发射(SFOAE)测量和耳反射测量来预测听力损失，将使用改进的声反射功能测试来研究中耳噪声源和非线性，并将根据在本申请中进行的实验测量或文献报道的实验测量来开发和评估中耳和耳蜗能量传输的时域模型。第二个目的是研究在SFOAE刺激条件下，耳蜗线性度对频谱处理的影响，类似于同时和非同时掩蔽和抑制行为实验中所使用的条件。具体地说，这些实验将解决SFOAE的外周机制测量能够在多大程度上非侵入性地评估内侧橄榄-耳蜗(MOC)传出系统对外毛细胞功能的强度，评估SFOAE精细结构的水平依赖性，并说明听力正常的听者和感应性神经性听力损失的听者在宽带和凹陷噪声中检测音调的表现。第三个目的是利用类似于过冲和幅度调制(AM)行为学实验的SFOAE刺激条件，研究耳蜗线性度对时间加工的影响。这些实验将评估通过激活MOC系统响应AM的声音而产生的SFOAE的变化，并将测试SFOAE测量在多大程度上可以解释正常听者和患有听神经病的受试者的行为超调测量。拟议的实验结果将提供有用的数据和建模，以提高我们对人类听觉外周的理解，并可能提高我们诊断听力损失幅度的能力，并提高我们对听力损失对频谱和时间分辨率影响的理解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The primary goal of this application is to use a combination of acoustic and behavioral responses to test theories of auditory processing at the mechanical and behavioral levels. A subordinate goal is to relate acoustic responses measured non-invasively in the ear canal to cochlear and middle ear function. The first aim studies the relationships between middle ear and cochlear mechanics using a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches. Measurements of stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emission (SFOAE) and otoreflectance measurements will be used to predict hearing loss, an improved test of acoustic reflex function will be used to study middle-ear noise sources and no linearity, and time-domain models of middle-ear and cochlear energy transmission will be developed and evaluated based on experimental measurements performed in this application or reported in the literature. The second aim studies the effects of cochlear no linearity on spectral processing using SFOAE stimulus conditions similar to those used in behavioral experiments on simultaneous and non-simultaneous masking and suppression. Specifically, the experiments will address the extent to which SFOAE measurements of peripheral mechanics are able to noninvasive assess the strength of the medial olive-cochlear (MOC) efferent system on outer hair cell function, assess the level dependence of SFOAE fine structure, and account for the performance of normal-hearing listeners and listeners with sensor neural hearing loss in detecting tones in broadband and notched noise. The third aim studies the effects of cochlear no linearity on temporal processing using SFOAE stimulus conditions similar to those used in behavioral experiments on overshoot and amplitude modulation (AM). These experiments will assess the shifts in SFOAEs produced by activation of the MOC system in response to sounds with AM, and will test the extent to which SFOAE measurements can account for measurements of behavioral overshoot in normal listeners and subjects with auditory neuropathy. The results of the proposed experiments will provide useful data and modeling to improve our understanding of the auditory periphery in humans, and may improve our ability to diagnose the magnitude of hearing loss and improve our understanding of the impact of hearing loss on spectral and temporal resolution.