Low-frequency Tones Research Articles

Inhibition shapes acoustic responsiveness in spherical bushy cells.

Signal processing in the auditory brainstem is based on an interaction of neuronal excitation and inhibition. To date, we have incomplete knowledge of how the dynamic interplay of both contributes to the processing power and temporal characteristics of signal coding. The spherical bushy cells (SBCs) of the anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) receive their primary excitatory input through auditory nerve fibers via large, axosomatic synaptic terminals called the endbulbs of Held and by additional, acoustically driven inhibitory inputs. SBCs provide the input to downstream nuclei of the brainstem sound source localization circuitry, such as the medial and lateral superior olive, which rely on temporal precise inputs. In this study, we used juxtacellular recordings in anesthetized Mongolian gerbils to assess the effect of acoustically evoked inhibition on the SBCs input-output function and on temporal precision of SBC spiking. Acoustically evoked inhibition proved to be strong enough to suppress action potentials (APs) of SBCs in a stimulus-dependent manner. Inhibition shows slow onset and offset dynamics and increasing strength at higher sound intensities. In addition, inhibition decreases the rising slope of the EPSP and prolongs the EPSP-to-AP transition time. Both effects can be mimicked by iontophoretic application of glycine. Inhibition also improves phase locking of SBC APs to low-frequency tones by acting as a gain control to suppress poorly timed EPSPs from generating postsynaptic APs to maintain precise SBC spiking across sound intensities. The present data suggest that inhibition substantially contributes to the processing power of second-order neurons in the ascending auditory system.

Analyses prognostic factors relevant to sudden sensorineural hearing loss

To investigate the prognostic factors relevant to sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The internationally accepted standardized clinical research methods, unified design, and unified program were adopted to conduct the prospective clinical multi-center study. The sudden deafness patients between 18 to 65 years old, with the course of this disorder less than two weeks, and without any medical treatments were collected, and then, divided into four types according to the hearing curve: type A, acute sensorineural hearing loss in low tone frequencies; type B, acute sensorineural hearing loss in high tone frequencies; type C, acute sensorineural hearing loss in all frequencies; and type D, total deafness. The factors, in terms of age, gender, type of initial audiogram, time delay before the first visit, and severity of hearing loss, were included in the analyses. A total of 1 024 cases with single side sudden deafness were collected in the study from 33 hospitals in China from August 2007 to October 2011, inclusive of for 492 males (48.05%) and 532 females (51.95%). The average age was (41.2 ± 12.8) years old. There were 553 cases (54.00%) in left ear, and 471 cases (46.00%) in right ear. The curative effects of different types were shown as follows: the type in low tone frequencies had the highest rate of 90.73%, the type in all frequencies was 82.59%; the type of total deafness was 70.29%; and the type in high tone frequencies had the lowest rate of 65.96%. It had significant difference of the effective rate between different types (χ(2) = 231.58, P = 0.000). Age, time delay before first visit, and severity of initial hearing loss were significantly correlated with hearing improvement. Initial audiogram of SSNHL might predict hearing recovery. The young in age and a short time delay before starting treatment are positive prognostic factors for hearing recovery in SSNHL. The initial severity of hearing loss is negative prognostic factor of hearing recovery.

Multi-center study on the treatment of sudden deafness accompanied with tinnitus

To investigate the clinical characteristics and the effects of different drug therapies in patients of sudden deafness accompanied with tinnitus. The international standardized clinical research methods, the unified design and program were used in the study. The patients of sudden deafness accompanied with tinnitus, aged between 18 to 65 years old, were recruited, whose duration was less than two weeks with no medication. The patients were divided into four types according to the hearing curve: type A was acute sensorineural hearing loss in low tone frequencies, type B was acute sensorineural hearing loss in high tone frequencies, type C was acute sensorineural hearing loss in all frequencies and type D was total deafness. Each type had four different treatment programs, based on the unified designed randomized table. A total of 1024 cases with single side sudden deafness were recruited in the study by 33 hospitals in China from August 2007 to October 2011. Among the 1024 cases, 922 cases were accompanied with tinnitus (90.04%). By classification of audiogram, among the 922 cases, 169 cases were type A (82.44%), 127 cases were type B (90.07%), 370 cases were type C (92.04%), and 256 cases were type D (92.75%). The tinnitus mostly was persistent and low tone tinnitus. The degree of the tinnitus was mostly 2-3 grade. The curative effects of different types were analyzed, type A had the highest rate of 96.18%, type C was 87.75%, type B was 81.51%, and type D had the lowest rate of 75.32%. Significant difference of curative rate between different types was detected (χ² = 125.33, P = 0.000). There had no significant difference between the four different treatment groups (all P > 0.05). In the cases with single side sudden deafness accompanied with tinnitus, the type in low tone frequencies has the best curative effect, followed by the type in all frequencies. The type in high tone frequencies and the total deafness type have poor curative results. The steroid plays a good effect in the treatment.

Cues for Diotic and Dichotic Detection of a 500-Hz Tone in Noise Vary with Hearing Loss

Hearing in noise is a challenge for all listeners, especially for those with hearing loss. This study compares cues used for detection of a low-frequency tone in noise by older listeners with and without hearing loss to those of younger listeners with normal hearing. Performance varies significantly across different reproducible, or "frozen," masker waveforms. Analysis of these waveforms allows identification of the cues that are used for detection. This study included diotic (N0S0) and dichotic (N0Sπ) detection of a 500-Hz tone, with either narrowband or wideband masker waveforms. Both diotic and dichotic detection patterns (hit and false alarm rates) across the ensembles of noise maskers were predicted by envelope-slope cues, and diotic results were also predicted by energy cues. The relative importance of energy and envelope cues for diotic detection was explored with a roving-level paradigm that made energy cues unreliable. Most older listeners with normal hearing or mild hearing loss depended on envelope-related temporal cues, even for this low-frequency target. As hearing threshold at 500 Hz increased, the cues for diotic detection transitioned from envelope to energy cues. Diotic detection patterns for young listeners with normal hearing are best predicted by a model that combines temporal- and energy-related cues; in contrast, combining cues did not improve predictions for older listeners with or without hearing loss. Dichotic detection results for all groups of listeners were best predicted by interaural envelope cues, which significantly outperformed the classic cues based on interaural time and level differences or their optimal combination.

Context Effect in the Categorical Perception of Mandarin Tones

The categorical perception of tones is based not only on word-internal F0 cues but also on external F0 cues in the contexts. The present study focuses on the effects of different types of preceding contexts on Mandarin tone perception. In the experiment, subjects were required to identify a target tone with the preceding context. The target tone was from a tone continuum ranging from Mandarin Tone 1 (high-level tone) to Tone 2 (mid-rising tone). It was preceded by four types of contexts (normal speech, reversal speech, fine-structure sound, and non-speech) with different mean F0 values. Results indicate that the categorical perception of Mandarin tones is influenced only by the normal speech context, and the effect is contrastive. For instance, in a normal speech context with a higher mean F0, the following tone is more likely to be perceived as a lower-frequency tone (Tone 2), whereas with a lower mean F0, the following tone is more likely to be perceived as a higher-frequency tone (Tone 1). These findings suggest that Mandarin tone normalization is mediated by speech-specific processes and that the speech context needs to be intelligible.

Acoustic sensitivity phenomena found in people with cancer and thyroid problems

Throughout my career in acoustic engineering, I have observed two interesting dynamics. Many of the people that I encountered with extreme noise sensitivity, that is easily disturbed by noise 1–2 dB above background (typically unperceivable by most), were found to be in ill health. Once I recognized this phenomena, I began to take note that there was an increase in these numbers specific to those suffering from cancer or a thyroid problem. I began to survey these individuals and most identified having been sensitive to noise long before their initial diagnosis, further developing my theory that noise sensitivity may indeed be a symptom for certain diseases, and a warning sign for early treatment. Second, those effected by ill health were specifically more bothered by lower frequency tones than those in good health. Many of these people are plagued by their noise sensitivity and describe it as a persistent nuisance that is often associated with inability to sleep with the tones present. This paper will dis...

Effect of low-intensity highpass noise on stimulus frequency otoacoustic emission group delays for low frequency evoking tones

Stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs) have been used in previous research to estimate cochlear tuning in humans. These estimates of tuning rely on the theory that SFOAEs arise from coherent reflections from the place on the basilar membrane (BM) with the characteristic frequency (CF) of the tone evoking the emission. Theories underlying SFOAE generation are still the subject of much debate, and several recent studies have shown evidence supporting an alternative theory postulating that generators of SFOAE are distributed basally to the CF place on the BM. Basally distributed emission generators could explain why SFOAE-derived group delays measured in the chinchilla cochlea for low-frequency tones were shorter than predicted by coherent-reflection hypothesis. The aim of the current study is to look for potential effects of basal emission generators in SFOAE-derived measurements of group delay at low frequencies in humans. SFOAE group delays were measured at 0.5, 0.75 kHz with and without a low intensity highpass noise, used to perturb basally distributed emission generation sites. Results show that the presence of the highpass noise leads to increased group delays estimated from SFOAEs, consistent with the hypothesis that basal generators of emission influence estimates of cochlear group delay at low frequencies.

Tuning of SFOAEs Evoked by Low-Frequency Tones Is Not Compatible with Localized Emission Generation.

Stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs) appear to be well suited for assessing frequency selectivity because, at least on theoretical grounds, they originate over a restricted region of the cochlea near the characteristic place of the evoking tone. In support of this view, we previously found good agreement between SFOAE suppression tuning curves (SF-STCs) and a control measure of frequency selectivity (compound action potential suppression tuning curves (CAP-STC)) for frequencies above 3 kHz in chinchillas. For lower frequencies, however, SF-STCs and were over five times broader than the CAP-STCs and demonstrated more high-pass rather than narrow band-pass filter characteristics. Here, we test the hypothesis that the broad tuning of low-frequency SF-STCs is because emissions originate over a broad region of the cochlea extending basal to the characteristic place of the evoking tone. We removed contributions of the hypothesized basally located SFOAE sources by either pre-suppressing them with a high-frequency interference tone (IT; 4.2, 6.2, or 9.2 kHz at 75 dB sound pressure level (SPL)) or by inducing acoustic trauma at high frequencies (exposures to 8, 5, and lastly 3-kHz tones at 110-115 dB SPL). The 1-kHz SF-STCs and CAP-STCs were measured for baseline, IT present and following the acoustic trauma conditions in anesthetized chinchillas. The IT and acoustic trauma affected SF-STCs in an almost indistinguishable way. The SF-STCs changed progressively from a broad high-pass to narrow band-pass shape as the frequency of the IT was lowered and for subsequent exposures to lower-frequency tones. Both results were in agreement with the "basal sources" hypothesis. In contrast, CAP-STCs were not changed by either manipulation, indicating that neither the IT nor acoustic trauma affected the 1-kHz characteristic place. Thus, unlike CAPs, SFOAEs cannot be considered as a place-specific measure of cochlear function at low frequencies, at least in chinchillas.

Development of the acoustic startle response in rats and its change after early acoustic trauma

Even brief acoustic trauma during the critical period of development that results in no permanent hearing threshold shift may lead to altered auditory processing in adulthood. By monitoring the acoustic startle response (ASR), we examined the development of auditory function in control rats and in rats exposed to intense noise at the 14th postnatal day (P14). First ASRs appeared on P10–P11 to intense low-frequency tones. By P14, the range of sound intensities and frequencies eliciting ASRs extended considerably, the ASR reactivity being similar at all frequencies (4–32kHz). During the subsequent two weeks, ASR amplitudes to low-frequency stimuli (4–8kHz) increased, whereas the ASRs to high-frequency tones were maintained (16kHz) or even decreased (32kHz). Compared to controls, noise exposure on P14 (125dB SPL for 8, 12, or 25min) produced transient hyper-reactivity to startle stimuli, manifested by a decrease of ASR thresholds and an increase of ASR amplitudes. ASR enhancement occurred regardless of permanent hearing loss and was more pronounced at high frequencies. The hyper-reactivity of ASRs declined by P30; the ASR amplitudes in adult exposed rats were lower than in controls. The histological control did not reveal loss of hair cells in adult exposed rats, however, the number of inner hair cell ribbon synapses was significantly decreased, especially in the high-frequency part of the cochlea. The results indicate that early acoustic trauma may result in complex changes of ASRs during development.

Designing Dual-Tone Radio Interferometric Positioning Systems

For many wireless sensor networks, high accuracy and low complexity localization techniques are crucial to their successful deployment. The radio interferometric positioning system (RIPS) has been introduced for accurate localization with low complexity. In this paper, a dual-tone radio interferometric positioning system (DRIPS) is proposed to localize multiple targets simultaneously. In DRIPS, multiple asynchronous targets emit dual-tone signals, and synchronous anchor receivers (nodes with known positions) extract phase information of low-frequency differential tones created by squaring the received dual-tone signals. Multiple time-of-arrivals (TOAs) coupled with unknown offsets due to the asynchronous targets are estimated based on the phase information. Accordingly, a localization algorithm taking the integer ambiguity issue into account is developed. Moreover, considering the case without accurate knowledge of the frequencies of the differential tones, an ESPRIT-type algorithm is proposed to estimate the frequencies. The proposed DRIPS is robust to flat-fading channels, immune to uncertainties of local oscillators, and able to distinguish different targets. In order to show more insights of the performance limit of the DRIPS, Cramer-Rao bounds (CRBs) are derived. Simulation results illustrate the merits of the proposed DRIPS.

Delineation of a frequency-organized region isolated from the mouse primary auditory cortex.

The primary auditory cortex (AI) is the representative recipient of information from the ears in the mammalian cortex. However, the delineation of the AI is still controversial in a mouse. Recently, it was reported, using optical imaging, that two distinct areas of the AI, located ventrally and dorsally, are activated by high-frequency tones, whereas only one area is activated by low-frequency tones. Here, we show that the dorsal high-frequency area is an independent region that is separated from the rest of the AI. We could visualize the two distinct high-frequency areas using flavoprotein fluorescence imaging, as reported previously. SMI-32 immunolabeling revealed that the dorsal region had a different cytoarchitectural pattern from the rest of the AI. Specifically, the ratio of SMI-32-positive pyramidal neurons to nonpyramidal neurons was larger in the dorsal high-frequency area than the rest of the AI. We named this new region the dorsomedial field (DM). Retrograde tracing showed that neurons projecting to the DM were localized in the rostral part of the ventral division of the medial geniculate body with a distinct frequency organization, where few neurons projected to the AI. Furthermore, the responses of the DM to ultrasonic courtship songs presented by males were significantly greater in females than in males; in contrast, there was no sex difference in response to artificial pure tones. Our findings offer a basic outline on the processing of ultrasonic vocal information on the basis of the precisely subdivided, multiple frequency-organized auditory cortex map in mice.

Loudness of low-frequency pure tones lateralized by interaural time differences.

Directional loudness is that phenomenon by which the loudness of a sound may vary according to the localization of its source. This phenomenon has been mainly observed for high-frequency sounds, for sources located in the horizontal plane. Because of the acoustic shadow of the head, the left and right ear pressures are modified depending on the source azimuth and the global loudness resulting from a summation process may vary accordingly. Directional loudness has also been reported to occur at 400 Hz, where shadowing effects are usually rather small. It might therefore be suspected that directional loudness effects could be influenced by other parameters involved in the localization process. This study assessed the loudness of low-frequency pure tones (200 and 400 Hz) lateralized with headphones by applying an interaural time difference (ITD) but no interaural level difference. It showed small but significant variations of loudness with respect to ITD at a low loudness level (40 phon): ITD values associated with virtual azimuths of ±60° and ±90° led to a small but significant increase in loudness (up to 1.25 dB). However, there was no such effect at a moderate loudness level (70 phon).

Preserved low-frequency hearing following 20-mm cochlear implantation.

To determine the preservation of pure tone thresholds for a series of cochlear implant patients who underwent atraumatic round window insertion with a new thin 22-mm electrode to a 20-mm depth. Retrospective, within-subject repeated measures design. Tertiary care hospital. Nine sequential cochlear implant patients with functional preoperative acoustic hearing (defined as low-frequency pure tone average thresholds ≤90 dB). Therapeutic. Pure tone thresholds after cochlear implantation. Low-frequency hearing preservation was achieved in all cases. Less than 10 dB average change was seen for low-frequency pure tone average measures (125, 250, 500, and 1,000 Hz) at 6 and 12 months following cochlear implantation. Atraumatic round window insertion with a thin 22-mm electrode to a 20-mm depth results in dramatically high levels of acoustic hearing preservation among CI patients.

Behavioural responses of the European spiny lobster, Palinurus elephas (Fabricius, 1787), to conspecific and synthetic sounds

This study examined the effects of three different acoustic stimuli on the behaviour of the European spiny lobster,Palinurus elephas(Fabricius, 1787). Twenty male and 20 female lobsters were exposed to: a low-frequency linear sweep tone (0.1-20 kHz), a high-frequency linear sweep tone (20-80 kHz), conspecific sounds (rasp: train of wideband pulses), and no sound stimulation (control). After a habituation period, lobsters were audio-video recorded for 30 min. Tail flipping, sound emissions, distance moved, mobility, velocity and movement were recorded. Differences between the males and females in the rasp playback condition were observed, with the females having highest values of the behaviours under study. Moreover, when analysing the male and female combined data we found that exposure to synthetic stimuli did not produce any significant variations. Finally, it can be assumed that there is: a capacity for rasp sound perception, and a significant role for these pulses in the intraspecific communication ofP. elephas.

Beamspace time-frequency analysis for identification of underwater tone noise sources

The noise emitted by an underwater vehicle consists of several strong tones superimposed on a broad-band radiated noise component. Among them, the stable low-frequency tone noise induced by the reciprocating movements of the auxiliary machines in the underwater vehicle, carries characteristic information of the vehicle and is necessary for long-distance detection. Therefore, identification of the tone noise sources of an underwater vehicle is significant for noise reduction. On the basis of the joint information of space-time-frequency, beamspace time-frequency analysis (TFA) scheme is proposed for identification of low-frequency tone noise sources of underwater moving vehicle. First, the Doppler signals formed when the tone noise sources pass through the closest point of approach (CPA) are separated in time domain, by using superdirectivity beamforming of a small aperture circular array. The output signals can be approximated in linear form, i. e., LFM signal. After the LFM signals from the narrow beam are processed by two TFA methods of pseudo Wigner - Ville distribution and chirplet transform (CT), the time-frequency images of the noise signals are obtained. Then, the CPA time of each tone noise sources can be estimated by using peak search of the time-frequency images. At last, by converting the time coordinate to space coordinate and comparing with a reference source whose CPA time and position are known in advance, the positions of the low-frequency tone noise sources on the underwater vehicle are identified. The proposed scheme is different from the focused beamforming method, which scans the beam angle after eliminating the Doppler effect. Besides, due to no need of decorrelation usually used in the focused beamforming method, beamspace TFA scheme resolves the problem that array aperture is limited for identification of coherent noise sources of an underwater vehicle. The aperture of the used array can be reduced to meter-scale even when the frequencies of the tone noise are low. Although the array gain of superdirectivity beamforming decreases in nonisotropic noise field, the main lobe of the beam still keeps the same shape. Therefore, the performance of the proposed scheme is robust. Simulation analysis shows the following results: (1) Both the two beamspace TFA methods can precisely identify the underwater tone noise sources through a small aperture circular array, the radius of which is equal to 1.6 m, and the localization errors are less than 1 m when the signal-to-noise ratios are moderate; (2) The higher the frequencies of the tone noises are, the better the localization accuracy of beamspace TFA methods obtain; (3) The proposed scheme is less sensitive to the velocity of the underwater moving vehicle, and the localization results just have very small difference under various velocities; (4) The localization accuracy is related to distance, and decade meters is a reasonable choose for actual noise measurement; (5) Beamspace CT has better resolving accuracy when the information of measurement system is given, so the choice of the two beamspace TFA methods can be decided according to the actual measurement condition.

Simultaneous low noise radio frequency tone and narrow linewidth optical comb generation from a regeneratively mode-locked laser

A regeneratively mode-locked laser with simultaneous low noise radio frequency (RF) tone and optical comb generation is presented. The laser does not need any external RF signal and emits a pulse train at ∼10 GHz repetition rate with a 1.5-ps optical pulse width after compression. The generated RF tone has a signal-to-noise ratio of 121 dB/Hz and an RF fluctuation of 10 −9 over 0.1 s. The optical frequency comb spacing is also at ∼10 GHz and the optical comb tooth has a linewidth of 1 kHz .

Determining auditory-evoked activities from multiple cells in layer 1 of the dorsal cortex of the inferior colliculus of mice by in vivo calcium imaging

Layer 1 of the dorsal cortex of the inferior colliculus (DCIC) is distinguished from other layers by its cytoarchitecture and fiber connections. However, the information of the sound types represented in layer 1 of the DCIC remains unclear because placing electrodes on such thin structures is challenging. In this study, we utilized in vivo calcium imaging to assess auditory-evoked activities in multiple cells in layer 1 of DCIC and to characterize sound stimuli producing strong activity. Most cells examined showed strong responses to broad-band noise and low-frequency tone bursts of high sound intensity. In some cases, we successfully obtained frequency response areas, which are receptive fields to tone frequencies and intensities, and ~30% of these showed V-shape tunings. This is the first systematic study to record auditory responses of cells in layer 1 of DCIC. These results indicate that cells in this area are selective to tones with low frequency, implying the importance of such auditory information in the neural circuitry of layer 1 of DCIC.

Hearing Efficacy of Intratympanic Methylprednisolone Perfusion for Severe and Profound Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Objectives: Investigate the efficacy of intratympanic methylprednisolone perfusion (IMP) for severe and profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Methods: Hearing recovery was analyzed retrospectively in SSNHL patients, who received IMP after not fully responding to conventional treatments and were hospitalized in our department between January 2008 and December 2012. Results: Eighty-seven patients with SSNHL were divided into 4 types according to primary hearing curve: total deafness (77.01%), mild to moderate hearing loss in all frequencies (18.39%), hearing loss in low-tone frequencies (2.30%), and hearing loss in high-tone frequencies (2.30%). The effective rate was 66.7% and average pure tone average (PTA) improvements were 18.53 ± 13.54 dB in the patients of interval from onset to IMP within 15 days, 21.2% and 5.92 ± 15.18 dB in the patients of interval between 16 and 30 days, 4.8% and 3.69 ± 7.00 dB in the patients of interval more than 30 days, respectively. The effective rate had significant differences among the 3 different interval groups (χ2 = 25.91, P = .000), and the PTA improvements in the patients of interval within 15 days were the best in the 3 groups ( F = 11.182， P = .000). A total of 30 cases were responsive to IMP, one of them was hearing loss in low tone frequencies and the other 29 cases were in all frequencies. The average hearing improvements in the lower 3 frequencies (0.25 kHz-1 kHz)were better than those in the higher 3 frequencies (2 kHz-8 kHz; F = 9.494, P = .000). Conclusions: Receiving IMP earlier may help to improve hearing recovery for the patients with SSNHL not fully responding to conventional treatments. The hearing improvements in the lower frequencies may be better than those in the higher frequencies after IMP.

Predicting the location of missing outer hair cells using the electrical signal recorded at the round window.

The electrical signal recorded at the round window was used to estimate the location of missing outer hair cells. The cochlear response was recorded to a low frequency tone embedded in high-pass filtered noise conditions. Cochlear damage was created by either overexposure to frequency-specific tones or laser light. In animals with continuous damage along the partition, the amplitude of the cochlear response increased as the high-pass cutoff frequency increased, eventually reaching a plateau. The cochlear distance at the onset of the plateau correlated with the anatomical onset of outer hair cell loss. A mathematical model replicated the physiologic data but was limited to cases with continuous hair cell loss in the middle and basal turns. The neural contribution to the cochlear response was determined by recording the response before and after application of Ouabain. Application of Ouabain eliminated or reduced auditory neural activity from approximately two turns of the cochlea. The amplitude of the cochlear response was reduced for moderate signal levels with a limited effect at higher levels, indicating that the cochlear response was dominated by outer hair cell currents at high signal levels and neural potentials at low to moderate signal levels.

Reproducibility (test–retest) of vestibular evoked myogenic potential

IntroductionThere is still no consensus in the literature as to the best acoustic stimulus for capturing vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP). Low-frequency tone bursts are generally more effective than high-frequency, but recent studies still use clicks. Reproducibility is an important analytical parameter to observe the reliability of responses. ObjectiveTo determine the reproducibility of p13 and n23 latency and amplitude of the VEMP for stimuli with different tone-burst frequencies, and to define the best test frequency. MethodsCross-sectional cohort study. VEMP was captured in 156 ears, on the sternocleidomastoid muscle, using 100 tone-burst stimuli at frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, and 2000Hz, and sound intensity of 95dB nHL. Responses were replicated, that is, recorded three times on each side. ResultsNo significant difference was observed for p13 and n23 latencies of the VEMP, captured at three moments with tone-burst stimuli at 250, 500, and 1000Hz. Only the frequency of 2000Hz showed a difference between captures of this potential (p<0.001). p13 and n23 amplitude analysis was also similar in the test–retest for all frequencies analyzed. Conclusionp13 and n23 latencies and amplitudes of VEMP for tone-burst stimuli at frequencies of 250, 500, and 1000Hz are reproducible.