Biomaterial Database

Phase-dependent audiometry with low-frequency masking revisited. 2010

Torsten Rahne, and Christine Rasinski, and Kerstin Neumann

Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Halle Saale, Halle, Saale, Germany. torsten.rahne@medizin.uni-halle.de

Low-frequency masking is a psychoacoustical phenomenon, describing the modulation of a high-frequency probe tone burst by a low-frequency masker tone. The probe tone threshold is increased, if the probe tone is presented at a low-frequency phases around 90 degrees and 270 degrees . At these phases, the low-frequency masker tone induces a displacement of the basilar membrane of the inner ear which modulates the sensitivity of the inner hair cells. Measuring the modulation depth is partially applied in clinical routine to diagnose the endolymphatic hydrops. Although the modulation depth differs between normal ears and those which reveal an endolymphatic hydrops, the significance of these tests seems debatable. Here, we describe a new experimental setup, completely consisting of commercially available devices. Further, a user interface was developed to enable the application in the clinical routine. The experimental setup was approved with ten normal hearing listeners. All reveal a modulation of the probe stimulus threshold by different phases of the low-frequency masker stimulus. With this experimental setup, custom-made modifications of the essential parameters are feasible. This would be a contribution to solve open questions on the clinical relevance of the low-frequency masking phenomenon.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010470	Perceptual Masking	The interference of one perceptual stimulus with another causing a decrease or lessening in perceptual effectiveness.	Masking, Perceptual,Maskings, Perceptual,Perceptual Maskings
D011601	Psychophysics	The science dealing with the correlation of the physical characteristics of a stimulus, e.g., frequency or intensity, with the response to the stimulus, in order to assess the psychologic factors involved in the relationship.	Psychophysic
D012016	Reference Values	The range or frequency distribution of a measurement in a population (of organisms, organs or things) that has not been selected for the presence of disease or abnormality.	Normal Range,Normal Values,Reference Ranges,Normal Ranges,Normal Value,Range, Normal,Range, Reference,Ranges, Normal,Ranges, Reference,Reference Range,Reference Value,Value, Normal,Value, Reference,Values, Normal,Values, Reference
D003051	Cochlea	The part of the inner ear (LABYRINTH) that is concerned with hearing. It forms the anterior part of the labyrinth, as a snail-like structure that is situated almost horizontally anterior to the VESTIBULAR LABYRINTH.	Cochleas
D005072	Evoked Potentials, Auditory	The electric response evoked in the CEREBRAL CORTEX by ACOUSTIC STIMULATION or stimulation of the AUDITORY PATHWAYS.	Auditory Evoked Potentials,Auditory Evoked Response,Auditory Evoked Potential,Auditory Evoked Responses,Evoked Potential, Auditory,Evoked Response, Auditory,Evoked Responses, Auditory,Potentials, Auditory Evoked
D006199	Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner	Auditory sensory cells of organ of Corti, usually placed in one row medially to the core of spongy bone (the modiolus). Inner hair cells are in fewer numbers than the OUTER AUDITORY HAIR CELLS, and their STEREOCILIA are approximately twice as thick as those of the outer hair cells.	Auditory Hair Cell, Inner,Auditory Hair Cells, Inner,Cochlear Inner Hair Cell,Cochlear Inner Hair Cells,Hair Cell, Auditory, Inner,Inner Auditory Hair Cell,Inner Auditory Hair Cells,Inner Hair Cells,Cell, Inner Hair,Cells, Inner Hair,Hair Cell, Inner,Hair Cells, Inner,Inner Hair Cell
D006309	Hearing	The ability or act of sensing and transducing ACOUSTIC STIMULATION to the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. It is also called audition.	Audition
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000161	Acoustic Stimulation	Use of sound to elicit a response in the nervous system.	Auditory Stimulation,Stimulation, Acoustic,Stimulation, Auditory
D000162	Acoustics	The branch of physics that deals with sound and sound waves. In medicine it is often applied in procedures in speech and hearing studies. With regard to the environment, it refers to the characteristics of a room, auditorium, theatre, building, etc. that determines the audibility or fidelity of sounds in it. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)	Acoustic