Medial Olivocochlear Reflex Strength Research Articles

Effects of orienting attention to a specific frequency on medial olivocochlear reflex - A study of dependence on target frequencies -

The medial olivocochlear bundle responds to acoustic stimuli and suppresses outer hair cell gain. This reflex response is called the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) and improves signal detection in background noise, referred to anti-masking effect. Our previous study reported that orienting attention to moderate frequencies selectively increases MOCR near the attended frequency, and that the effects of attention to low and high frequencies are unlikely to appear in MOCR. The previous investigation was limited to the condition where participants kept orienting attention to the same frequency across trials. Here we examined the condition where participants switched attention to different frequencies trial by trial. During the measurements of MOCR, participants detected probe tones in background noise. The target frequency, 750, 1000, 1250, 1500, 2000 and 3000 Hz, was notified by a preceding cue frequency and varied across trials. When the target frequency was 1250 Hz, the MOCR strength tended to be attenuated at lower frequencies. In contrast, for any other target frequencies, MOCR didn't differ significantly from a non-attentional condition. The frequency range where attentional effect was observed was similar to our previous report. The similarity implicates that MOCR can covary with dynamically changing frequency-specific attention, which would help exerting antimasking effect flexibly.

The effect of medial olivocochlear reflex enhancement associated with temporal expectation on listening performance in noise

The medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) is efferent feedback activated by acoustic stimulation and plays a role to improve signal detection in noise. We have reported that the MOCR and phase locking value (PLV) of delta oscillations showed a similar decreasing tendency with increasing jitter added to the preceding sound sequence. This suggests that the processing at the cortical regions is involved in the regularity -based enhancement of MOCR. Further, the dependency disappeared as the load of the interfered task increased, suggesting that the cortical predictive control of MOCR requires top-down attention to sounds. Considering the anti-masking effect of MOCR, MOCR enhancement with anticipation may improve listening performance in noise. We extended our previous experiments by measuring listening performance in noise and compared its dependence on the jitter size with MOCR strength and PLV of delta oscillation. In the low load condition, the three indices increased with decreasing the jitter. In the high load condition, by contrast, the dependency on the jitter size disappeared. The similarities of the indices in the dependency on jitter size and attention implicate that the cortical predictive control can facilitate the antimasking of MOCR, therefore improving the listening performance in noise.

Effect of cortical activity enhancement on medial olivocochlear reflex

The medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) is reported to protects the inner ear from acoustic overexposure. It has been shown that MOCR by fluctuations in cognitive function, e.g., attention and expectation. However, the mechanism by which the cortical cognitive processing modulates MOCR has not been clarified. To investigate this mechanism, we compared the variability of cortical activity and MOCR after a mental calculation task that demands widespread cortical network activities. Cortical activity was assessed by measuring slow vertex response (SVR). Although MOCR strength and SVR amplitude did not change significantly after the calculation task, two measures had reverse dependence on the difficulty of the calculation task; A moderately difficult calculation task increased SVR amplitude while reduced MOCR strength. The results implicate that MOCR variations can be attributed to cortical activity changes. In addition, by simultaneously measuring MOCR and EEG during the calculation task, the time course of the effect of the cortical modulatory effect on MOCR was also examined.

A Clinically Viable Medial Olivocochlear Reflex Assay Using Transient-Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions.

The contralateral medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) strength may indicate various auditory conditions in humans, but a clinically viable assay and equipment are needed for quick, accurate, and reliable measurements. The first experiment compared an earlier version of the assay, which used a nonlinear-mode chirp stimulus, with a new assay using a linear-mode click stimulus, designed to give reliable MOCR measurements in most normal-hearing ears. The second experiment extended the improved assay on a purpose-built binaural hardware platform that used forward-pressure level (FPL) calibration for both the stimulus and the contralateral MOCR elicitor. Transient-evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) tests were measured with and without a 60-dB SPL MOCR-evoking contralateral broadband noise. The normalized MOCR strength (MOCR%) was derived from the TEOAE responses for each trial pair using the complex pressure difference weighted by the TEOAE magnitude. Experiment 1 compared MOCR% within-subject and across-day using two TEOAE stimuli: nonlinear-mode chirps (50 dB SPL, bandpass 1-5 kHz, 14 ms window delayed by 2 ms) and linear-mode clicks (50 dB SPL, bandpass 0.5-2.5 kHz, 13 ms window delayed by 5 ms). TEOAE responses were analyzed in the 0.5 to 2.5 kHz band. Thirty adult participants with normal hearing (30 ears) completed the study. The TEOAE stimulus was calibrated in situ using spectral flattening, and the contralateral noise was calibrated in a coupler. Twelve TEOAE trial pairs were collected for each participant and condition. Experiment 2 used a purpose-built binaural system. The TEOAE stimuli were linear-mode clicks (50 dB SPL, bandpass 1-3 kHz, 13 ms window delayed by 5 ms), analyzed in the 1 to 3 kHz band over ~12 trial pairs. After a probe refit, an additional trial pair was collected for the two early-stopping signal-to-noise ratio criteria (15 and 20 dB). They were evaluated for single-trial reliability and test time. Nineteen adult participants with normal hearing (38 ears) completed the study. The TEOAE clicks and contralateral elicitor noise were calibrated in situ using FPL and delivered with automated timing. MOCR% for linear-mode clicks was distinguishable from measurement variability in 98% to 100% of participants' ears (both experiments), compared with only 73% for the nonlinear-mode chirp (experiment 1). MOCR detectability was assessed using the MOCR% across-subject/within-subject variance ratio. The ratio in experiment 1 for linear-mode clicks was higher (8.0) than for nonlinear-mode chirps (6.4). The ratio for linear-mode clicks (8.9) in experiment 2 was slightly higher than for the comparable linear-mode stimulus (8.0) in experiment 1. TEOAEs showed excellent reliability with high signal-to-noise ratios in both experiments, but reliability was higher for linear-mode clicks than nonlinear-mode chirps. MOCR reliability for the two stimuli was comparable. The FPL pressure response retest reliability derived from the SPL at the microphone was higher than the SPL retest reliability across 0.4 to 8 kHz. Stable results required 2 to 3 trial pairs for the linear-mode click (experiments 1 and 2) and three for the nonlinear-mode chirp (experiment 1), taking around 2 min on average. The linear-mode click assay produced measurable, reliable, and stable TEOAE and MOCR results on both hardware platforms in around 2 min per ear. The stimulus design and response window ensured that any stimulus artifact in linear mode was unlikely to confound the results. The refined assay is ready to produce high-quality data quickly for clinical and field studies to develop population norms, recognize diagnostic patterns, and determine risk profiles.

Medial Olivocochlear Reflex Strength in Ears With Low-to-Moderate Annual Noise Exposure.

Studies in lower mammals demonstrate enhancement of the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) following noise exposure. A similar effect may occur in humans, and there is some evidence of an individual's acoustic history affecting the MOCR. The current work evaluates the relationship between an individual's annual noise exposure history and their MOCR strength. Given the potential role of the MOCR as a biological hearing protector, it is important to identify factors associated with MOCR strength. Data were collected from 98 normal-hearing young adults. Annual noise exposure history was estimated using the Noise Exposure Questionnaire. MOCR strength was assayed using click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs) measured with and without noise presented to the contralateral ear. MOCR metrics included the MOCR-induced otoacoustic emission (OAE) magnitude shift and phase shift. A CEOAE signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of at least 12 dB was required for estimation of the MOCR metrics. Linear regression was applied to evaluate the relationship between MOCR metrics and annual noise exposure. Annual noise exposure was not a statistically significant predictor of the MOCR-induced CEOAE magnitude shift. However, annual noise exposure was a statistically significant predictor of the MOCR-induced CEOAE phase shift-the MOCR-induced phase shift decreased with increasing noise exposure. Additionally, annual noise exposure was a statistically significant predictor of OAE level. Findings contrast with recent work that suggests MOCR strength increases with annual noise exposure. Compared with previous work, data for this study were collected using more stringent SNR criteria, which is expected to increase the precision of the MOCR metrics. Additionally, data were collected for a larger subject population with a wider range of noise exposures. Whether findings generalize to other exposure durations and levels is unknown and requires future study.

Contralateral inhibition of distortion product otoacoustic emissions in young noise-exposed Veterans.

Although animal models show a clear link between noise exposure and damage to afferent cochlear synapses, the relationship between noise exposure and efferent function appears to be more complex. Animal studies indicate that high intensity noise exposure reduces efferent medial olivocochlear (MOC) reflex strength, whereas chronic moderate noise exposure is associated with a conditioning effect that enhances the MOC reflex. The MOC reflex is predicted to improve speech-in-noise perception and protects against noise-induced auditory damage by reducing cochlear gain. In humans, MOC reflex strength can be estimated by measuring contralateral inhibition of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). The objective of this study was to determine the impact of military noise exposure on efferent auditory function by measuring DPOAE contralateral inhibition in young Veterans and non-Veterans with normal audiograms. Compared with non-Veteran controls, Veterans with high levels of reported noise exposure demonstrated a trend of reduced contralateral inhibition across a broad frequency range, suggesting efferent damage. Veterans with moderate noise exposure showed trends of reduced inhibition from 3 to 4 kHz but greater inhibition from 1 to 1.5 kHz, consistent with conditioning. These findings suggest that, in humans, the impact of noise exposure on the MOC reflex differs depending on the noise intensity and duration.

Medial olivocochlear reflex strength in ears with low-to-moderate annual noise exposure

Recent work suggests enhanced medial-olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) strength in noise exposed individuals. The current study aimed to replicate this finding using stricter signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) criteria in MOCR estimates and a larger subject population. Ninety-eight normal-hearing young adults participated. The MOCR test included measurement of click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAE) with and without contralateral noise. MOCR-induced magnitude and phase shifts were calculated. The MOCR test was performed twice to provide a within-session replication. Annual noise exposure history was estimated using the Noise Exposure Questionnaire. Annual noise exposure was not a statistically significant predictor of the MOCR-induced CEOAE magnitude shift. A statistically significant negative correlation was found between annual noise exposure and the MOCR-induced CEOAE phase shift. A significant negative correlation was also identified between annual noise exposure and CEOAE level. Results suggest diminished MOCR strength in noise-exposed individuals. This finding contrasts with recent work using similar methods. Compared to earlier work, the current study relied on higher OAE SNRs in MOCR estimates and sampled a larger population of subjects with broader noise exposure histories. The concurrent finding of reduced OAE levels in noise exposed individuals suggests acoustic trauma may be an underlying cause of reduced MOCR strength.

Fluctuations of Otoacoustic Emissions and Medial Olivocochlear Reflexes: Tracking One Subject over a Year

The purpose of the study was to measure the variability of transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) and the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) over a long period of time in one person. TEOAEs with and without contralateral acoustic stimulation (CAS) by white noise were measured, from which MOCR strength could be derived as either a dB or % change. In this longitudinal case study, measurements were performed on the right and left ears of a young, normally hearing adult female once a week for 1 year. The results showed that TEOAE level and MOCR strength fluctuated over the year but tended to remain close to a baseline level, with standard deviations of around 0.5 dB and 0.05 dB, respectively. The TEOAE latencies at frequencies from 1 to 4 kHz were relatively stable, with maximum changes ranging from 0.5 ms for the 1 kHz band to 0.08 ms for the 4 kHz band. TEOAE levels and MOCR strengths were strongly and negatively correlated, meaning that the higher the TEOAE level, the lower the MOCR. Additionally, comparison of fluctuations between the ears revealed positive correlation, i.e., the higher the TEOAE level or MOCR in one ear, the higher in the second ear.

Lack of correlation between medial olivocochlear reflex strength and sentence recognition in noise

Objective The medial olivocochlear (MOC) reflex provides unmasking of sounds in noise, but its contribution to speech-in-noise perception remains unclear due to conflicting results. This study determined associations between MOC reflex strength and sentence recognition in noise in individuals with normal hearing. Design MOC reflex strength was assessed using contralateral inhibition of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs). Scores on the AzBio sentence task were quantified at three signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Additionally, slope and threshold of the psychometric function were computed. Associations between MOC reflex strength and speech-in-noise outcomes were assessed using Spearman rank correlations. Study sample Nineteen young adults with normal hearing participated, with data from 17 individuals (mean age = 21.8 years) included in the analysis. Results Contralateral noise significantly decreased the amplitude of TEOAEs. A range of contralateral inhibition values was exhibited across participants. Scores increased significantly with increasing SNR. Contrary to hypotheses, there were no significant correlations between MOC reflex strength and score, nor were there any significant correlations between MOC reflex strength and measures of the psychometric function. Conclusions Results found no significant monotonic relationship between MOC reflex strength and sentence recognition in noise. Future work is needed to determine the functional role of the MOC reflex.

The medial olivocochlear reflex strength is modulated during a visual working memory task.

Top-down modulation of sensory responses to distracting stimuli by selective attention has been proposed as an important mechanism by which our brain can maintain relevant information during working memory tasks. Previous works in visual working memory (VWM) have reported modulation of neural responses to distracting sounds at different levels of the central auditory pathways. Whether these modulations occur also at the level of the auditory receptor is unknown. Here, we hypothesize that cochlear responses to irrelevant auditory stimuli can be modulated by the medial olivocochlear system during VWM. Twenty-one subjects (13 males, mean age 25.3 yr) with normal hearing performed a visual change detection task with different VWM load conditions (high load = 4 visual objects; low load = 2 visual objects). Auditory stimuli were presented as distractors and allowed the measurement of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and scalp auditory evoked potentials. In addition, the medial olivocochlear reflex strength was evaluated by adding contralateral acoustic stimulation. We found larger contralateral acoustic suppression of DPOAEs during the visual working memory period (n = 21) compared with control experiments (n = 10), in which individuals were passively exposed to the same experimental conditions. These results show that during the visual working memory period there is a modulation of the medial olivocochlear reflex strength, suggesting a possible common mechanism for top-down filtering of auditory responses during cognitive processes.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The auditory efferent system has been proposed to function as a biological filter of cochlear responses during selective attention. Here, we recorded electroencephalographic activity and otoacoustic emissions in response to auditory distractors during a visual working memory task in humans. We found that the olivocochlear efferent activity is modulated during the visual working memory period suggesting a common mechanism for suppressing cochlear responses during selective attention and working memory.

Effect of rhythm-based prediction on medial olivocochlear reflex and delta oscillations

The medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) is an efferent feedback activated by acoustic stimulation. Our previous studies showed that a preceding sound expedites MOCR, which suggests that temporal expectation about the timing of stimulus occurrence can modulate MOCR. In contrast, the temporal structure, e.g., regularity and rhythm, of preceding sequences also contains cues for temporal expectation about the timing of upcoming sounds. Here we investigate whether the regularities of preceding sound sequences can modulate MOCR. Simultaneously, we measured electroencephalography (EEG) delta-band oscillations whose phase-locking was reported to play a role in mediating the effects of anticipation on target detection. The predictability of target occurrence was modulated by adding jitter to the inter-stimulus interval (ISI) of the preceding sound sequence. Both the strength of MOCR and the phase synchronization of EEG delta oscillations decreased with increasing the jitter up to 20% of the ISI and are saturated above that percentage. The similar dependence on the amount of the jitter suggest the involvement of delta oscillations in the predictive control of MOCR based on the regularity of preceding sound sequences.

The Role of the Medial Olivocochlear Reflex in Acceptable Noise Level in Adults.

The acceptable noise level (ANL) is a measurement used to quantify how much noise a person is willing to accept while listening to speech. ANL has been used to predict success with hearing aid use. However, physiological correlates of the ANL are poorly understood. One potential physiological correlate is the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR), which decreases the output of the cochlea and is thereby expected to increase noise tolerance. This study investigates the relationship between contralateral activation of the MOCR and tolerance of background noise. This study recruited 22 young adult participants with normal hearing. ANL was measured using the Arizona Travelogue recording under headphones presented at the most comfortable level (MCL) with and without multitalker babble noise. The MOCR strength was evaluated in all participants by measuring the cochlear microphonic (CM) with and without 40 dB sound pressure level contralateral broadband noise (CBBN). The CM observed in response to a 500-Hz tone was measured with and without CBBN, and changes in response to fast Fourier transform amplitude at 500 Hz were used as an indicator of the MOCR effect. The ANL was calculated by subtracting the maximum acceptable background noise level from the MCL. Participants were divided into two groups based on their ANL: low-ANL (ANL < 7 dB) and moderate-ANL (ANL ≥ 7 dB). An independent samples t-test was used to compare CM enhancement between low-ANL and moderate-ANL groups. Additionally, Pearson's correlation was used to investigate the relationship between the ANL and the MOCR effect on the CM. The results indicated that presentation of CBBN increased the CM amplitude, consistent with eliciting the MOCR. Participants in the low-ANL group had significantly larger CM enhancement than moderate-ANL participants. The results further revealed a significant correlation between the ANL and the MOCR effect on the CM. This study suggests that a stronger MOCR, as assessed using CM enhancement, is associated with greater noise tolerance. This research provides a possible objective measure to predict background tolerance in patients and adds to our understanding about the MOCR function in humans.

Efferent unmasking of speech-in-noise encoding?

Objective The medial olivocochlear (MOC) reflex provides efferent feedback from the brainstem to cochlear outer hair cells. Physiologic studies have demonstrated that the MOC reflex is involved in “unmasking” of signals-in-noise at the level of the auditory nerve; however, its functional importance in human hearing remains unclear. Design This study examined relationships between pre-neural measurements of MOC reflex strength (click-evoked otoacoustic emission inhibition; CEOAE) and neural measurements of speech-in-noise encoding (speech frequency following response; sFFR) in four conditions (Quiet, Contralateral Noise, Ipsilateral Noise, and Ipsilateral + Contralateral Noise). Three measures of CEOAE inhibition (amplitude reduction, effective attenuation, and input-output slope inhibition) were used to quantify pre-neural MOC reflex strength. Correlations between pre-neural MOC reflex strength and sFFR “unmasking” (i.e. response recovery from masking effects with activation of the MOC reflex in time and frequency domains) were assessed. Study sample 18 young adults with normal hearing. Results sFFR unmasking effects were insignificant, and there were no correlations between pre-neural MOC reflex strength and sFFR unmasking in the time or frequency domain. Conclusion Our results do not support the hypothesis that the MOC reflex is involved in speech-in-noise neural encoding, at least for features that are represented in the sFFR at the SNR tested.

The Effect of Otoacoustic Emission Stimulus Level on the Strength and Detectability of the Medial Olivocochlear Reflex.

Previous work demonstrates the importance of a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) when using transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) to assay the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR). Increasing stimulus level provides one means to increase TEOAE SNR. However, this may come at the expense of a smaller MOCR effect. It is not clear whether the gain in SNR associated with the use of higher stimulus levels outweighs the disadvantage of a potentially smaller MOCR effect. The present study investigated the strength and detectability of the MOCR when assayed using TEOAEs at different stimulus levels. The hypothesis was that although the strength of the MOCR decreases with increasing stimulus level, the occurrence of statistically significant MOCR effects increases due to an increase in TEOAE SNR. Twenty-five young adult females with normal hearing participated in the study. TEOAEs were measured in the right ear with and without broadband noise presented in the left ear. The strength of the MOCR was quantified as the percent difference in the TEOAE between the contralateral noise and quiet conditions. Statistical bootstrapping was used to detect significant MOCR effects in individual subjects across different frequency bands and stimulus levels. The relationship between a detectable MOCR (response variable) and frequency, stimulus level, TEOAE SNR, MOCR strength, and subject (predictor variables) was evaluated using generalized linear mixed-effect models. The number of statistically significant MOCR effects increased with stimulus level at all frequencies. Occurrence was highest for the 2-kHz TEOAE frequency band and lowest for the 4-kHz frequency band. The strength of the MOCR decreased with increasing click level. TEOAE SNR, MOCR strength, and stimulus level were significant predictors of a detectable MOCR: The likelihood of a detectable MOCR increased with TEOAE SNR, MOCR strength, and stimulus level. Despite a reduction in the strength of the MOCR with increasing stimulus level, the detectability of the MOCR increased. This is due, in part, to an increase in TEOAE SNR with stimulus level. For clinical implementation of TEOAE-based MOCR assays, achieving a high SNR is necessary to permit the detection of the MOCR in individual patients.

Short Term Test-Retest Reliability of Contralateral Inhibition of Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions.

Background and ObjectivesStrength of medial olivocochlear reflex can be measured reliably using contralateral inhibition of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) when its fine structure is considered. However, measurement of fine structure of DPOAE is difficult with clinical equipment. Thus, this study investigated the clinically relevant test-retest reliability of contralateral inhibition of DPOAEs.Subjects and MethodsTwenty-six young adults with normal hearing sensitivity participated. DPOAEs were recorded at 27 discrete f2 frequencies between 800 Hz and 8,000 Hz at frequency resolution of 8 points per octave with and without contralateral white noise presented at 50 dB SPL. To check for short term inter-session reliability, contralateral inhibition of DPOAEs were recorded in three sessions, two recording sessions on first day separated by 30 minutes and third time after one week of the first session. Within each session, DPOAEs were recorded twice in single probe-fit condition to test for intra-session reliability.ResultsCronbach’s alpha was calculated having poor reliability (α≤ 0.7) of contralateral inhibition of DPOAEs in both intra-session and inter-session conditions for most of the tested frequencies. 95% confidence intervals of contralateral inhibition magnitude also showed large variability.ConclusionsThe current results showed that though DPOAE amplitudes were highly reliable across sessions, amount of inhibition of DPOAEs was not reliable when DPOAEs were measured at discrete frequencies. These findings are concurrent with the literature.

Increased medial olivocochlear reflex strength in normal-hearing, noise-exposed humans.

Research suggests that college-aged adults are vulnerable to tinnitus and hearing loss due to exposure to traumatic levels of noise on a regular basis. Recent human studies have associated exposure to high noise exposure background (NEB, i.e., routine noise exposure) with the reduced cochlear output and impaired speech processing ability in subjects with clinically normal hearing sensitivity. While the relationship between NEB and the functions of the auditory afferent neurons are studied in the literature, little is known about the effects of NEB on functioning of the auditory efferent system. The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) strength and NEB in subjects with clinically normal hearing sensitivity. It was hypothesized that subjects with high NEB would exhibit reduced afferent input to the MOCR circuit which would subsequently lead to reduced strength of the MOCR. In normal-hearing listeners, the study examined (1) the association between NEB and baseline click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs) and (2) the association between NEB and MOCR strength. The MOCR was measured using CEOAEs evoked by 60 dB pSPL linear clicks in a contralateral acoustic stimulation (CAS)-off and CAS-on (a broadband noise at 60 dB SPL) condition. Participants with at least 6 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the CAS-off and CAS-on conditions were included for analysis. A normalized CEOAE inhibition index was calculated to express MOCR strength in a percentage value. NEB was estimated using a validated questionnaire. The results showed that NEB was not associated with the baseline CEOAE amplitude (r = -0.112, p = 0.586). Contrary to the hypothesis, MOCR strength was positively correlated with NEB (r = 0.557, p = 0.003). NEB remained a significant predictor of MOCR strength (β = 2.98, t(19) = 3.474, p = 0.003) after the unstandardized coefficient was adjusted to control for effects of smoking, sound level tolerance (SLT) and tinnitus. These data provide evidence that MOCR strength is associated with NEB. The functional significance of increased MOCR strength is discussed.

A Role of Medial Olivocochlear Reflex as a Protection Mechanism from Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Revealed in Short-Practicing Violinists.

Previous studies have indicated that extended exposure to a high level of sound might increase the risk of hearing loss among professional symphony orchestra musicians. One of the major problems associated with musicians’ hearing loss is difficulty in estimating its risk simply on the basis of the physical amount of exposure, i.e. the exposure level and duration. The aim of this study was to examine whether the measurement of the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR), which is assumed to protect the cochlear from acoustic damage, could enable us to assess the risk of hearing loss among musicians. To test this, we compared the MOCR strength and the hearing deterioration caused by one-hour instrument practice. The participants in the study were music university students who are majoring in the violin, whose left ear is exposed to intense violin sounds (broadband sounds containing a significant number of high-frequency components) during their regular instrument practice. Audiogram and click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs) were measured before and after a one-hour violin practice. There was a larger exposure to the left ear than to the right ear, and we observed a left-ear specific temporary threshold shift (TTS) after the violin practice. Left-ear CEOAEs decreased proportionally to the TTS. The exposure level, however, could not entirely explain the inter-individual variation in the TTS and the decrease in CEOAE. On the other hand, the MOCR strength could predict the size of the TTS and CEOAE decrease. Our findings imply that, among other factors, the MOCR is a promising measure for assessing the risk of hearing loss among musicians.

Otoacoustic-emission-based medial-olivocochlear reflex assays for humans.

Otoacoustic emission (OAE) tests of the medial-olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) in humans were assessed for viability as clinical assays. Two reflection-source OAEs [TEOAEs: transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions evoked by a 47 dB sound pressure level (SPL) chirp; and discrete-tone SFOAEs: stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions evoked by 40 dB SPL tones, and assessed with a 60 dB SPL suppressor] were compared in 27 normal-hearing adults. The MOCR elicitor was a 60 dB SPL contralateral broadband noise. An estimate of MOCR strength, MOCR%, was defined as the vector difference between OAEs measured with and without the elicitor, normalized by OAE magnitude (without elicitor). An MOCR was reliably detected in most ears. Within subjects, MOCR strength was correlated across frequency bands and across OAE type. The ratio of across-subject variability to within-subject variability ranged from 2 to 15, with wideband TEOAEs and averaged SFOAEs giving the highest ratios. MOCR strength in individual ears was reliably classified into low, normal, and high groups. SFOAEs using 1.5 to 2 kHz tones and TEOAEs in the 0.5 to 2.5 kHz band gave the best statistical results. TEOAEs had more clinical advantages. Both assays could be made faster for clinical applications, such as screening for individual susceptibility to acoustic trauma in a hearing-conservation program.

Modeling individual differences in overshoot: Effects of age, hearing loss, and efferent feedback

The detection of a short sinusoidal probe in simultaneous masking improves as the probe's onset is delayed from the masker's onset. This “overshoot” may be mediated by the medial olivocochlear (MOC) reflex, whose pathway includes spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs), olivocochlear neurons and the outer hair cells (OHCs). Overshoot was measured in younger adults with normal hearing, older adults with normal hearing, and older adults with hearing loss to test the hypothesis that overshoot decreases as components in the MOC reflex pathway are compromised. Overshoot was significantly reduced in older adults, but only those with hearing loss, which is consistent with overshoot depending primarily on the status of the OHCs and only minimally influenced by age-related reductions in SGNs. Thresholds measured when the probe was near the masker’s onset showed large differences across listeners, resulting in appreciable individual differences in overshoot. Simulations were generated from a computational model of the auditory system to quantify the contributions of cochlear hearing loss, MOC reflex strength, and detection efficiency to individual differences in overshoot. Preliminary results suggest that cochlear hearing loss and detection efficiency explain the largest portion of the variance in overshoot among adults with normal and impaired hearing. [Work supported by NIH/NIDCD.]

The relationship between MOC reflex and masked threshold

Otoacoustic emission (OAE) amplitude can be reduced by acoustic stimulation. This effect is produced by the medial olivocochlear (MOC) reflex. Past studies have shown that the MOC reflex is related to listening in noise and attention. In the present study, the relationship between strength of the contralateral MOC reflex and masked threshold was investigated in 19 adults. Detection thresholds were determined for 1000-Hz, 300-ms tone presented simultaneously with one repetition of a 300-ms masker in an ongoing train of masker bursts. Three masking conditions were tested: 1) broadband noise 2) a fixed-frequency 4-tone complex masker and 3) a random-frequency 4-tone complex masker. Broadband noise was expected to produce energetic masking and the tonal maskers were expected to produce informational masking in some listeners. DPOAEs were recorded at fine frequency intervals from 500 to 4000 Hz, with and without contralateral acoustic stimulation. MOC reflex strength was estimated as a reduction in baseline level and a shift in frequency of DPOAE fine-structure maxima near 1000-Hz. MOC reflex and psychophysical testing were completed in separate sessions. Individuals with poorer thresholds in broadband noise and in random-frequency maskers were found to have stronger MOC reflexes.