An electromechanical model for the cochlear microphonic

Teal, Paul D., Lineton, Ben and Elliott, Stephen J. (2011) An electromechanical model for the cochlear microphonic. Shera, Christopher A. and Olson, Elizabeth S. (eds.) In What Fire is in Mine Ears: Progress in Auditory Biomechanics: Proceedings of the 11th International Mechanics of Hearing Workshop. vol. 1403, American Institute of Physics.. (doi:10.1063/1.3658164).

Abstract

The first of the many electrical signals generated in the ear, nerves and brain as a response to a sound incident on the ear is the cochlear microphonic (CM). The CM is generated by the hair cells of the cochlea, primarily the outer hairs cells. The potentials of this signal are a nonlinear filtered version of the acoustic pressure at the tympanic membrane. The CM signal has been used very little in recent years for clinical audiology and audiological research. This is because of uncertainty in interpreting the CM signal as a diagnostic measure, and also because of the difficulty of obtaining the signal, which has usually required the use of a transtympanic electrode. There are however, several potential clinical and research applications for acquisition of the CM. To promote understanding of the CM, and potential clinical application, a model is presented which can account for the generation of the cochlear microphonic signal. The model incorporates micro-mechanical and macro-mechanical aspects of previously published models of the basilar membrane and reticular lamina, as well as cochlear fluid mechanics, piezoelectric activity and capacitance of the outer hair cells. It also models the electrical coupling of signals along the scalae.

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Contributors

Author: Ben Lineton

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