Characterizing cochlear mechano-electric transduction in ears damaged with pure tones

Cochlear microphonics were recorded in response to Gaussian noise from the round window of Mongolian gerbils. A nonlinear systems identification procedure provided the frequency-domain parameters of a third-order polynomial equation describing cochlear mechano-electric transduction (MET). Exposure to an 8 kHz pure tone at 100 dB SPL for 20 min reduced the magnitude of the linear, quadratic, and cubic terms significantly. Animals exposed to a 1- or 4-kHz pure tone showed changes in the quadratic term. Differentiation of the polynomial equation and algebraic manipulations of the coefficients provided physiologic indices of MET. The sensitivity, saturation voltages, and sound pressures required to saturate MET were altered in animals exposed to an 8-kHz pure tone. Limited changes occurred in animals exposed to a 1- or 4-kHz pure tone.