Electrocochleographic measures of cochlear frequency selectivity in hearing loss of cochlear origin

One of the basic functions of the cochlea is to separate out the frequency components which are present in complex sounds. This frequency selectivity can be measured objectively in the clinic from the compound action potential (AP) during transtympanic electrocochleography, using a two-tone masking paradigm. An AP is evoked by a test tone near to threshold, and a measure is made of the frequency bandwidth over which this AP can be suppressed by a continuous pure tone masker. In normal-hearing subjects, this frequency range is 0.17-0.39 octaves (test tone pip at 4 or 8 kHz). In patients with cochlear deafness, this bandwidth is greatly enlarged, ranging from 0.42-2.2 octaves. Some observations suggest that a deterioration in frequency selectivity can occur before any important threshold elevation. The early detection of this could be a warning sign of potential cochlear susceptibility. In the clinic the measure is already of use: a deterioration is a positive indication of cochlear involvement in a hearing loss.