Relation between Body Structure and Hearing during Soft Tissue Auditory Stimulation
Cahtia Adelman1, Michal Kaufmann Yehezkely2, Shai Chordekar3
1Speech & Hearing Center, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, P.O. Box 12000, 91120 Jerusalem, Israel ; Department of Communication Disorders, Hadassah Academic College, 37 Hanevi'im Street, P.O. Box 1114, 91010 Jerusalem, Israel.
Abstract:
Hearing is elicited by applying the clinical bone vibrator to soft tissue sites on the head, neck, and thorax. Two mapping experiments were conducted in normal hearing subjects differing in body build: determination of the lowest soft tissue stimulation site at which a 60 dB SL tone at 2.0 kHz was effective in eliciting auditory sensation and assessment of actual thresholds along the midline of the head, neck, and back. In males, a lower site for hearing on the back was strongly correlated with a leaner body build. A correlation was not found in females. In both groups, thresholds on the head were lower, and they were higher on the back, with a transition along the neck. This relation between the soft tissue stimulation site and hearing sensation is likely due to the different distribution of soft tissues in various parts of the body.
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