Abstract
Some hearing organs demonstrate frequency tuning that is strongly temperature-dependent whereas others do not. Previous experiments in mammals have shown little, if any, temperature-dependence. Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) are very stable in some subjects and offer a sensitive indicator for temperature effects. SOAE frequency changes were investigated over the menstrual cycle, the diurnal cycle, and after irrigation of the ear canal. A consistent apparent negative correlation with temperature was found over the menstrual cycle. Over the diurnal cycle, however, different frequency components behaved differently with a negligible net temperature-dependence. Irrigation of the ear canal at 30°C indicated a slight negative temperature dependence, but further experiments on another subject gave opposite changes for 30°C but no change for 44°C. These latter effects may have been due to changes of middle-ear pressure, whereas the effects over the menstrual cycle may be due to changes of hormone level. The temperature dependence of human frequency tuning would appear to be less than 0.1%/°C, indicating a stiffness change of less than 0.2%/°C.
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© 1986 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Wilson, J.P. (1986). The Influence of Temperature on Frequency-Tuning Mechanisms. In: Allen, J.B., Hall, J.L., Hubbard, A.E., Neely, S.T., Tubis, A. (eds) Peripheral Auditory Mechanisms. Lecture Notes in Biomathematics, vol 64. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-50038-1_29
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-50038-1_29
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