Institute of Biomedical Engineering Research, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
Department of Medical & Biological Engineering, Graduate School, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
Technol Health Care. 2021;29(S1):49-56. doi: 10.3233/THC-218005.
Sound normally enters the ear canal, passes through the middle ear, and stimulates the cochlea through the oval window. Alternatively, the cochlea can be stimulated in a reverse manner, namely round window stimulation. The reverse stimulation is not well understood, partly because in classic lumped-parameter models the path of reverse drive during the round window stimulation is usually not considered.
The study goal is to gain a better understanding of the hearing mechanism during round window stimulation.
A piezo actuator was coupled to the oval and round window of the guinea pigs. The auditory brainstem response produced by the forward and reverse stimulation at four frequencies was recorded.
The results show that the input voltage of the actuator required at the hearing threshold in the round window drive was higher than that in the oval window drive. In order to understand the data, we designed a lumped-parameter cochlear model that can simulate both forward and reverse drive. The model-predicted results were consistent with the experimental results.
The response of the auditory system to stimulus of oval window and round window was quantified through animal experimentation, and guinea pigs were used as experimental animals. When the same stimulus was applied to the oval window and round window of the cochlea, the ABR signals were compared. A lumped parameter model was designed to incorporate the sound transmission paths in both oval and round window stimulation. The simulated results are consistent with those of animal experiments. This model will be useful in understanding the inner-ear response in round window.
声音通常通过外耳道进入，穿过中耳，通过卵圆窗刺激耳蜗。或者，耳蜗可以以相反的方式被刺激，即圆窗刺激。这种反向刺激的机制还不完全清楚，部分原因是在经典的集总参数模型中，通常不考虑圆窗刺激时的反向驱动路径。
本研究的目的是更好地理解圆窗刺激时的听觉机制。
将一个压电致动器耦合到豚鼠的卵圆窗和圆窗。记录了正向和反向刺激在四个频率下产生的听觉脑干反应。
结果表明，在圆窗驱动下达到听觉阈值所需的致动器输入电压高于在卵圆窗驱动下所需的输入电压。为了理解这些数据，我们设计了一个集总参数的耳蜗模型，该模型可以模拟正向和反向驱动。模型预测的结果与实验结果一致。
通过动物实验对耳蜗的卵圆窗和圆窗刺激的听觉系统反应进行了量化，并用豚鼠作为实验动物。当相同的刺激施加到耳蜗的卵圆窗和圆窗时，比较了 ABR 信号。设计了一个集总参数模型，将卵圆窗和圆窗刺激中的声音传播路径纳入其中。模拟结果与动物实验结果一致。该模型将有助于理解圆窗内的内耳反应。
