Detailed f1, f2 area study of distortion product otoacoustic emissions in the frog

Abstract

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) are weak sounds emitted from the ear when it is stimulated with two tones. They are a manifestation of the nonlinear mechanics of the inner ear. As such, they provide a noninvasive tool for the study of the inner ear mechanics involved in the transduction of sound into nerve fiber activity. Based on the DPOAE phase behavior as a function of frequency, it is currently believed that mammalian DPOAEs are the combination of two components, each generated by a different mechanism located at a different location in the cochlea. In frogs, instead of a cochlea, two separate hearing papillae are present. Of these, the basilar papilla (BP) is a relatively simple structure that essentially functions as a single auditory filter. A two-mechanism model of DPOAE generation is not expected to apply to the BP. In contrast, the other hearing organ, the amphibian papilla (AP), exhibits a tonotopic organization. In the past it has been suggested that this papilla supports a traveling wave in its tectorial membrane. Therefore, a two-mechanism model of DPOAE generation may be applicable for DPOAEs from the AP. In the present study we report on the amplitude and phase of DPOAEs in the frog ear in a detailed f 1, f 2 area study. The result is markedly different from that in the mammalian cochlea. It indicates that DPOAEs generated by neither papilla agree with the two-mechanism traveling wave model. This confirms our expectation for the BP and does not support the hypothesized presence of a mechanical traveling wave in the AP.