Predicting mechanical damage to the organ of Corti

The potential for pharmacological intervention to ameliorate the effects of exposure to intense auditory stimulation is a truly exciting possibility. In theory, the effects of intense stimulation could be primarily a function of mechanical stress and its sequelae or possibly metabolic exhaustion. Conceivably, specific pharmacological therapies might be more effective following different types of insult, depending on the loss mechanism(s) involved. The Auditory Hazard Assessment Algorithm for the Human (AHAAH), a first-principles mathematical model for the ear, has been developed specifically to predict hazard at high intensities based on basilar membrane displacement. Validation studies have proven it to be accurate in rating risk for the human ear. AHAAH is available for download on the Internet. In the present context it was used to propose analytic stimuli that would help to elucidate the loss mechanisms and also to identify exposures for the clinician that should be considered as sufficiently hazardous to warrant potential pharmacological intervention either before or after the exposure.