[Influence of hypoxia on the human auditory system]

The present paper presents a review of the literature on "hypoxia and human auditory mechanisms". It examines and discusses, above all, the results obtained in the various studies using pure tone audiometry and auditory evoked potentials. At the present time, the two areas which appear most sensitive to hypoxia are the cochlea and, above all, the telencephalic auditory cortex (specifically those sectors dedicated to cognitive processing of auditory stimulation). However, many other areas which are sensitive to hypoxia, but to a lesser extent, have also been identified, even in other sectors of the auditory pathway. Particularly worthy of note is the effectiveness of the metabolic compensatory mechanisms which come into play upon hypoxic stress. These mechanisms include vasodilation and the presence of metabolic reservoirs. Nevertheless, there are still a number of open questions regarding how the auditory pathway functions in the case of hypoxia; thus the experimental study of hypoxic hypoxia is still an interesting, fruitful research field in audiology.