Low-frequency stimulation can make previously undetectable spontaneous emissions emerge transiently

Evidence

17 of 21 tested subjects revealed an overall of 56 new SOAEs, which had not been measurable before LF stimulation (see Fig. 2b ). These new SOAEs were characterized by an initial level and frequency increase, qualitatively similar to the pre-existing SOAEs. Comparable to the enhancing half cycle of Bouncing SOAEs, their level and frequency oscillated before they disappeared into the noise floor. The duration of the level and frequency changes was 67.5 s (47.5 s, 90 s). New SOAEs started to arise within 12.5 s (5 s, 25 s) after LF sound offset and reached a level maximum at 50 s (35 s, 62.5 s) after LF offset. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3719

Categorization

Category: Factual Claims

• DEFINE: SOAE = spontaneous otoacoustic emission; a faint sound generated by the inner ear in the absence of external acoustic stimulation.
• QUESTION: These transient SOAEs existed beneath the noise floor before stimulation — does LF sound merely amplify a latent emission site, or does it alter the active mechanics enough to create new oscillation?
• SEED: Potential essay angle: transient emergent emissions as a diagnostic metaphor — what structures dwell just below a detection threshold until a low-frequency disturbance briefly reveals them.

Related

• Low-frequency stimulation can reveal latent otoacoustic emissions invisible before exposure (similarity 0.94)
• Low-frequency exposure temporarily activates new otoacoustic emissions that were previously absent in most ears. (similarity 0.88)
• Low-frequency sound can awaken silent inner ears to emit spontaneous tones (similarity 0.88)
• Low-frequency sound exposure triggers long-lasting damped oscillations in spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. (similarity 0.87)
• SOAE Bouncing occurs in open-ear listening to real-world low-frequency sound sources. (similarity 0.85)
• Otoacoustic emission delay times shrink from 20 ms to 4 ms as frequency rises (similarity 0.84)
• Most human ears display synchronized spontaneous otoacoustic emissions when driven (similarity 0.84)
• Healthy ears continuously emit faint spontaneous sounds linked to frequency sensitivity (similarity 0.83)
• Free-field low-frequency sound from natural or man-made sources elicits SOAE bouncing (similarity 0.82)
• Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions align with peaks in stimulus-frequency fine structure (similarity 0.80)
• Spontaneous emission post-exposure oscillations follow an underdamped sinusoid with periods around 250 seconds (similarity 0.80)
• SOAE levels fluctuate widely while their frequencies stay remarkably stable (similarity 0.80)
• Free-field low-frequency sound causes SOAE bouncing without ear canal occlusion (similarity 0.80)
• Low-frequency Bounce occurs even with the ear canal left open (similarity 0.79)
• Real-world low-frequency noise can trigger the Bounce (similarity 0.79)