Otoacoustic emissions non-invasively probe outer hair cell function in humans.

Evidence

The current biophysical experiments reveal a significant effect of LF sound exposure on the inner ear, and specifically on the function of OHCs. The observed effects are reflected in significant changes of quadratic distortion products, but importantly, in changes of SOAEs, which (for the ears that exhibit them) allows for a least-invasive evaluation of inner ear function. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3745

In humans, non-invasive recordings of DPOAEs allow indirect access to OHC function while SOAEs represent, for ears that exhibit them, a more direct and very sensitive marker of OHC function. SOAEs are narrowband acoustic signals which are spontaneously emitted by the inner ear in the absence of acoustic stimulation. Human SOAEs persist over years and are relatively stable in both frequency and level (Burns 2009 ). — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3707

Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are faint sounds that travel from the cochlea back through the middle ear and are measured in the external auditory canal. Since their discovery in the late 1970s by David Kemp ( 1978 ), they have been used in the clinic to evaluate the health of outer hair cells (OHC) and in research to gain scientific insight into cochlear mechanics. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5758

Categorization

• XREF: Relevant to the reader’s goal of understanding human hearing physiology — SOAEs are a practical measurement tool. — connects to: Noise-induced hearing loss begins with impairment of outer hair cells; Otoacoustic emission spectra show discrete energy maxima stable across sensation levels; OAEs reveal cochlear function through sounds emitted back into the ear canal (+3 more)
• DEFINE: Defines SOAEs and DPOAEs as measurement tools for OHC function.
• corroborated: 5 independent passages support this claim — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3745; Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3707; Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5758

Broader Connections

• OAEs reveal cochlear function through sounds emitted back into the ear canal #expands (0.95)
• Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions cluster near SFOAE fine-structure maxima but remain undetectable there. #expands (0.80) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5763
• Low-frequency sound exposure triggers long-lasting damped oscillations in spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. #expands (0.80) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3703
• Missing otoacoustic emissions reveal conductive or cochlear but not retrocochlear defects #expands (0.80)