Stimulus ratio dependence of low-frequency distortion-product otoacoustic emissions in humansa)

Anders T.  Christensen; Rodrigo  Ordoñez; Dorte  Hammershøi

doi:10.1121/1.4906157

ABSTRACT

Active amplifiers within the cochlea generate, as a by-product of their function, distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) in response to specific two-tone stimuli. Focus has been on invoking emissions in a mid-frequency range from ∼0.5 to 4 kHz. The present study investigates stimulus parameters of the DPOAE at

2 f_{1} - f_{2}

frequencies below 0.5 kHz. Eighteen out of 21 young human adults screened had audiometrically normal hearing for inclusion in the experiment. DPOAEs were measured with pure-tone stimuli in four configurations:

f_{2}

fixed around 2.13 kHz,

f_{2}

fixed around 0.53 kHz,

2 f_{1} - f_{2}

fixed at 1.23 kHz and 0.25 kHz. Eight stimulus ratios,

f_{2} / f_{1}

, and three stimulus sound pressure levels,

L_{1} / L_{2}

, were measured in each configuration. Trends in ratio-magnitude responses for the mid-frequency DPOAE agree with those reported in previous literature. DPOAEs are not limited to distortion frequencies >0.5 kHz, but the stimulus ratio invoking the largest DPOAE in the mid-frequency range does not do so in the low-frequency range. Guiding the ratio according to the equivalent rectangular bandwidth of auditory filters maintains the DPOAE level.

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Stimulus ratio dependence of low-frequency distortion-product otoacoustic emissions in humans

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