Abstract
The cochlear microphonic (CM) can recover sensitivity following exposure to intense sounds. A previous study [G. R. Price, J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 47, 85 (A) (1970)] indicated that, in the case of intermittent stimulation, it was likely that the amount of time available for recovery between stimuli was crucial in determining the amount of loss in CM sensitivity an ear would suffer. In order to determine the characteristics of such recovery, deeply anesthetized cats were exposed to 5.0-kHz tones ranging in duration from 10 msec to 120 sec and at intensities ranging from that necessary to produce a maximum in CM (about 102 dB SPL) up to 30 dB higher than that. Following exposure, CM output to a weak tone was monitored at the round window. In general, the half-life of the recovery was dependent on both the intensity and duration of the stimulation, with longer recoveries following longer, more intense stimuli. Recoveries to the shorter stimuli required proportionately more time than those occurring to the longer stimuli, however. This finding may explain why short-duration intermittent stimuli have greater effect than would be predicted from stimuli with equal energy but longer “off” periods.
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