Otoacoustic emissions measured in the external ear canal describe responses that the cochlea generates in the form of acoustic energy. For the convenience of discussing their principal features, emitted responses can be classified into several categories according to the type of stimulation used to evoke them. On this basis, four distinct but interrelated classes can be distinguished including spontaneous, transiently evoked, stimulus-frequency, and distortion-product otoacoustic emissions. The present review details the findings that have been described for each emission type according to this classification schema. Additionally, the known features of emitted responses are discussed for both normally hearing and hearing-impaired humans and experimental animals, and with respect to their potential clinical applications. The findings reviewed here clearly indicate that future studies of otoacoustic emissions will significantly increase our understanding of the basic mechanisms of cochlear function while, at the same time, provide a new and important clinical tool.
The effects of primary-tone separation on the amplitude of distortion-product emissions (DPEs) at the 2f1-f2 frequency were systematically examined in ten ears of five subjects. All individuals had normal hearing and middle-ear function based upon standard clinical measures. Acoustic-distortion products were elicited at 1, 2.5, and 4 kHz by equilevel primaries at 65, 75, and 85 dB SPL, while f2/f1 ratios were varied in 0.02 increments from 1.01-1.41 (4 kHz), 1.01-1.59 (2.5 kHz), or 1.01-1.79 (1 kHz). A principal outcome reflected in the detailed structure of both average and individual ratio functions was a nonmonotonic change in DPE amplitude as the ratio of f2/f1 increased. Despite the presence of amplitude nonmonotonicities, there was clearly a region of f1 and f2 separation that generated a maximum DPE. The effects of primary-tone separation on DPE amplitudes were systematically related to DPE frequency and primary-tone level. For all three levels of stimulation, the f2/f1 ratio was inversely related to DPE frequency. Thus larger ratios reflecting a greater separation of f1 and f2 were more effective in generating DPEs at 1 kHz rather than at 4 kHz. The optimal ratio for 2.5 kHz fell at an intermediate value. Conversely, acoustic distortion-product amplitude as a function of primary-tone level was directly related to the frequency separation of the primary tones. Regardless of the frequency region of the primary tones, smaller f2/f1 ratios were superior in generating DPEs in response to 65-dB stimuli, whereas larger ratios elicited bigger DPEs with primaries at 75 and 85 dB SPL. Within any specific stimulus-parameter combination, individual variability in DPE amplitude was noted. When all stimulus conditions describing the variations in frequency and level were considered, an f2/f1 ratio of 1.22 was most effective in maximizing DPE amplitude.
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