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J Neurophysiol 101: 2362-2371, 2009. First published March 11, 2009; doi:10.1152/jn.00026.2009
0022-3077/09 $8.00
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Contralateral Acoustic Stimulation Modulates Low-Frequency Biasing of DPOAE: Efferent Influence on Cochlear Amplifier Operating State?

Cornelius Abel*, Anna Wittekindt* and Manfred Kössl

Institut für Zellbiologie und Neurowissenschaft, Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Submitted 8 January 2009; accepted in final form 9 March 2009

The mammalian efferent medial olivocochlear system modulates active amplification of low-level sounds in the cochlea. Changes of the cochlear amplifier can be monitored by distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). The quadratic distortion product f2–f1 is known to be sensitive to changes in the operating point of the amplifier transfer function. We investigated the effect of contralateral acoustic stimulation (CAS), known to elicit efferent activity, on DPOAEs in the gerbil. During CAS, a significant increase of the f2–f1 level occurred already at low contralateral noise levels (20 dB SPL), whereas 2f1–f2 was much less affected. The effect strength depended on the CAS level and as shown in experiments with pure tones on the frequency of the contralateral stimulus. In a second approach, we biased the position of the cochlear partition and thus the cochlear amplifier operating point periodically by a ipsilateral low-frequency tone, which resulted in a phase-related amplitude modulation of f2–f1. This modulation pattern was changed considerably during contralateral noise stimulation, in dependence on the noise level. The experimental results were in good agreement with a simple model of distortion product generation and suggest that the olivocochlear efferents might change the operating state of cochlear amplification.

Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: C. Abel, Institut für Zellbiologie und Neurowissenschaft, Siesmayerstrasse 70A, Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/M, Germany (E-mail: abel{at}bio.uni-frankfurt.de)






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