Abnormal middle ear muscle reflexes and audiosensitivity

Reversed or hyperactive stapedial reflexes are found in a wide variety of patients complaining of audiosensitivity, defined as a need to turn down the volume on audio equipment. This was checked in an independent sample of children with learning problems. One or both of these reflex abnormalities were over three times commoner in those reporting audiosensitivity. This relationship was stronger in older children. Intolerance to noise not strictly defined as above was not associated with reflex abnormalities. Hyperacute pure tone thresholds were associated with lowered acoustic reflex thresholds but not with audiosensitivity. Possible physiological bases for audiosensitivity are discussed.