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Time Course of Human Medial Olivocochlear Efferent Effects on Stimulus Frequency Emissions

Bradford Backus
Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology

J. J. Guinan Jr., W. Lilaonitkul
Eaton Peabody Laboratory
Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary
The medial olivocochlear (MOC) reflex is a sound-evoked auditory reflex that can be activated by ipsilateral, contralateral or bilateral sound. When activated, the reflex elevates cochlear thresholds by decreasing the mechanical response of the basilar membrane to low-level sounds.

The time course over which the MOC reflex produces its effects must be both tied to the physical mechanisms involved in generating the effects, and adapted to the functional role of the reflex in hearing. To help illuminate these points we quantified MOC efferent effects across time by measuring sound-evoked changes in stimulus frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs).


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(last modified 3/12/03)