Stimulus-frequency-emission group delay: A test of coherent reflection filtering and a window on cochlear tuning

2003 ◽  
Vol 113 (5) ◽  
pp. 2762-2772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Shera ◽  
John J. Guinan
Keyword(s):  
Group Delay ◽  
Stimulus Frequency ◽  
Cochlear Tuning ◽  
Coherent Reflection ◽  
Frequency Emission

Cochlear Sources and Otoacoustic Emissions

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (03) ◽  
pp. 176-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany A. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Fine Structure ◽  
Otoacoustic Emissions ◽  
Stimulus Frequency ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Clinical Applications ◽  
Clinical Test ◽  
Similar Amount ◽  
Distortion Product ◽  
Stimulus Parameters ◽  
Coherent Reflection

Current understanding suggests that there are two different mechanisms by which otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are generated in the cochlea. These mechanisms include a nonlinear-distortion mechanism and a coherent-reflection mechanism. Distortion product OAEs (DPOAEs) are believed to include contributions from both mechanisms, while stimulus frequency OAEs (SFOAES), at least at low and moderate levels, are believed to be generated primarily by the coherent-reflection mechanism. In the case of DPOAEs, the interaction of the two mechanisms produces a series of alternating peaks and valleys in the response level when recorded in small frequency increments. This pattern of peaks and valleys typically is referred to as fine structure. There has been much speculation that the interaction of the two mechanisms and the resulting fine structure limits the clinical test performance of DPOAEs. There are few data to address this speculation. Here, we review the literature that describes the cochlear source mechanisms and their potential relationship to clinical applications. We then present results for preliminary data collected in a group of 10 normal-hearing subjects where we explore the influence of common approaches to setting DPOAE stimulus parameters on the resulting fine structure. These preliminary results suggest that, at the moderate stimulus levels used in clinical applications, each of the different stimulus parameters results in a similar amount of fine structure and, therefore, fine structure cannot be eliminated through manipulation of stimulus parameters. We also review the results of some preliminary efforts to identify stimulus parameters that can be used to record SFOAEs (OAEs generated by the reflection mechanism). The potential clinical applications of SFOAEs have received little attention in the literature. By identifying stimulus parameters producing robust responses in normal-hearing ears, it may be possible to more fully evaluate clinical applications of SFOAEs.

Delays of stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions and cochlear vibrations contradict the theory of coherent reflection filtering

2005 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 2434-2443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan H. Siegel ◽  
Amanda J. Cerka ◽  
Alberto Recio-Spinoso ◽  
Andrei N. Temchin ◽  
Pim van Dijk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Otoacoustic Emissions ◽  
Stimulus Frequency ◽  
Coherent Reflection ◽  
Stimulus Frequency Otoacoustic Emissions

scholarly journals Salient features of otoacoustic emissions are common across tetrapod groups and suggest shared properties of generation mechanisms

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 3362-3367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Bergevin ◽  
Geoffrey A. Manley ◽  
Christine Köppl
Keyword(s):  
Otoacoustic Emissions ◽  
Stimulus Frequency ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Auditory Nerve Fiber ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Integral Number ◽  
Green Anole ◽  
Coherent Reflection ◽  
Number Of Cycles ◽  
Generation Mechanisms

Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are faint sounds generated by healthy inner ears that provide a window into the study of auditory mechanics. All vertebrate classes exhibit OAEs to varying degrees, yet the biophysical origins are still not well understood. Here, we analyzed both spontaneous (SOAE) and stimulus-frequency (SFOAE) otoacoustic emissions from a bird (barn owl, Tyto alba) and a lizard (green anole, Anolis carolinensis). These species possess highly disparate macromorphologies of the inner ear relative to each other and to mammals, thereby allowing for novel insights into the biomechanical mechanisms underlying OAE generation. All ears exhibited robust OAE activity, and our chief observation was that SFOAE phase accumulation between adjacent SOAE peak frequencies clustered about an integral number of cycles. Being highly similar to published results from human ears, we argue that these data indicate a common underlying generator mechanism of OAEs across all vertebrates, despite the absence of morphological features thought essential to mammalian cochlear mechanics. We suggest that otoacoustic emissions originate from phase coherence in a system of coupled oscillators, which is consistent with the notion of “coherent reflection” but does not explicitly require a mammalian-type traveling wave. Furthermore, comparison between SFOAE delays and auditory nerve fiber responses for the barn owl strengthens the notion that most OAE delay can be attributed to tuning.

Human Auditory-Frequency Tuning Is Sensitive to Tonal Language Experience

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 4277-4288
Author(s):  
Yin Liu ◽  
Runyi Xu ◽  
Qin Gong
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Frequency Tuning ◽  
Stimulus Frequency ◽  
Otoacoustic Emission ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Tonal Language ◽  
Tuning Curves ◽  
Cochlear Tuning ◽  
English Speaking

Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate whether human auditory frequency tuning can be influenced by tonal language experience. Method Perceptual tuning measured via psychophysical tuning curves and cochlear tuning derived via stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emission suppression tuning curves in 14 native speakers of a tonal language (Mandarin) were compared to those of 14 native speakers of a nontonal language (English) at 1 and 4 kHz. Results Group comparisons of both psychophysical tuning curves ( p = .046) and stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emission suppression tuning curves ( p = .007) in the 4-kHz region indicated sharper frequency tuning in the Mandarin-speaking group relative to the English-speaking group. The auditory tuning was better at the higher (4 kHz) than the lower (1 kHz) probe frequencies ( p < .001). Conclusions The sharper auditory tuning in the 4-kHz cochlear region is associated with long-term tonal language (i.e., Mandarin) experience. Experience-dependent plasticity of tonal language may occur before the sound signal reaches central neural stages, as peripheral as the cochlea.

scholarly journals Swept-Tone Stimulus-Frequency Otoacoustic Emissions in Human Newborns

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 233121651988922
Author(s):  
Carolina Abdala ◽  
Ping Luo ◽  
Yeini Guardia
Keyword(s):  
Otoacoustic Emissions ◽  
Stimulus Frequency ◽  
Otoacoustic Emission ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Ear Canal ◽  
Cochlear Tuning ◽  
Term Newborns ◽  
Stimulus Frequency Otoacoustic Emissions ◽  
Cochlear Gain ◽  
Group Delays

Several types of otoacoustic emissions have been characterized in newborns to study the maturational status of the cochlea at birth and to develop effective tests of hearing. The stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emission (SFOAE), a reflection-type emission elicited with a single low-level pure tone, is the least studied of these emissions and has not been comprehensively characterized in human newborns. The SFOAE has been linked to cochlear tuning and is sensitive to disruptions in cochlear gain (i.e., hearing loss) in adult subjects. In this study, we characterize SFOAEs evoked with rapidly sweeping tones in human neonates and consider the implications of our findings for human cochlear maturation. SFOAEs were measured in 29 term newborns within 72 hr of birth using swept tones presented at 2 oct/s across a four-octave frequency range (0.5–8 kHz); 20 normal-hearing young adults served as a control group. The prevalence of SFOAEs in newborns was as high as 90% (depending on how response “presence” was defined). Evidence of probe-tip leakage and abnormal ear-canal energy reflectance was observed in those ears with absent or unmeasurable SFOAEs. Results in the group of newborns with present stimulus-frequency emissions indicate that neonatal swept-tone SFOAEs are adult-like in morphology but have slightly higher amplitude compared with adults and longer SFOAE group delays. The origin of these nonadult-like features is probably mixed, including contributions from both conductive (ear canal and middle ear) and cochlear immaturities.

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