In the mammalian cochlea, self-sustaining oscillation of the basilar membrane in the cochlea can cause vibration of the ear drum, and produce spontaneous narrow-band air pressure fluctuations in the ear canal. These spontaneous fluctuations are known as spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. Small perturbations in feedback gain of the cochlear amplifier have been proposed to be the generation source of self-sustaining oscillations of the basilar membrane. We hypothesise that the self-sustaining oscillation resulting from small perturbations in feedback gain produce spontaneous potentials in the cochlea. We demonstrate that according to the results of the model, a measurable spontaneous cochlear microphonic must exist in the human cochlea. The existence of this signal has not yet been reported. However, this spontaneous electrical signal could play an important role in auditory research. Successful or unsuccessful recording of this signal will indicate whether previous hypotheses about the generation source of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions are valid or should be amended. In addition according to the proposed model spontaneous cochlear microphonic is basically an electrical analogue of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. In certain experiments, spontaneous cochlear microphonic may be more easily detected near its generation site with proper electrical instrumentation than is spontaneous otoacoustic emission.
展开▼
