[Mechanism of the effect of infrasound on labyrinthine receptors].

The investigation showed that exposure to 8 and 16 Hz infrasound at the acoustic pressure 90-120 dB for 3 hours daily during 5, 10, 15 and 25 days produced morphological changes in receptor cells of all the three semicircular canals as well as hair cells of the spiral organ. These changes acted initially as a "rhythmic functional pulsation of nuclei" and then led to their polymorphism. Histochemical observations found support in electron microscopic examinations, which revealed changes in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria that included swelling and crista shortening. These changes were reversible and, as soon as the exposure terminated, they began to disappear while membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum and injured mitochondria began to recover.