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。次要目标是将耳道中非侵入性测量的声学响应与耳蜗和中耳功能相关联。第一个目的是研究中耳和耳蜗力学之间的关系，使用实验和理论相结合的方法。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，并将基于本申请中执行的或文献中报告的实验测量来开发和评价中耳和耳蜗能量传输的时域模型。第二个目的研究耳蜗非线性对频谱处理的影响，使用SFOAE刺激条件类似于行为实验中使用的同时和非同时掩蔽和抑制。具体而言，实验将解决的程度，SFOAE测量外周力学能够非侵入性评估的内侧橄榄耳蜗（MOC）传出系统的外毛细胞功能的强度，评估的水平依赖性SFOAE精细结构，并占正常听力的听众和听众的性能与传感器神经听力损失在检测音调的宽带和缺口噪声。第三个目标研究耳蜗非线性对时间处理的影响，使用SFOAE刺激条件类似于行为实验中使用的过冲和幅度调制（AM）。这些实验将评估由MOC系统响应于AM声音而激活产生的SFOAE的变化，并将测试SFOAE测量在多大程度上可以解释正常听众和听神经病受试者的行为过冲测量。拟议实验的结果将提供有用的数据和建模，以提高我们对人类听觉外围的理解，并可能提高我们诊断听力损失程度的能力，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.