Frijns J H, Schoonhoven R
Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum, afd. Keel-, Neus- en Oorheelkunde, Leiden.
Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 1998 Apr 11;142(15):830-6.
The cochlea is organized tonotopically: each frequency between 20 Hz and 20 kHz has its own location on the basilar membrane. In addition the cochlea has a large dynamic range (sound intensity). Active movements of the outer hair cells of the sensory organ of Corti play a crucial part in determining hearing acuity and frequency selectivity. Long-known properties such as combination tones and more recent observations like spontaneous and evoked otoacoustic emissions (the cochlea as sound source) fit in the same concept of a cochlea acting as a non-linear fine-tuned amplifier. Most sensorineural losses in people with diminished hearing are caused by injury to the hair cells, e.g. by medicines. Damage of outer hair cells impairs the cochlear amplifier, leading to loss of sensitivity to soft sounds and loss of frequency selectivity. Damage to the inner hair cells has much the same effect as conductive hearing loss. Tinnitus is not caused by otoacoustic emissions, but probably by denervation hypersensitivity following loss of cochlear input.
20赫兹至20千赫兹之间的每个频率在基底膜上都有其特定位置。此外，耳蜗具有很大的动态范围（声音强度）。柯蒂氏器官外毛细胞的主动运动在决定听力敏锐度和频率选择性方面起着关键作用。诸如组合音等早已为人所知的特性以及诸如自发和诱发耳声发射（耳蜗作为声源）等最新观察结果都符合耳蜗作为非线性微调放大器的同一概念。听力减退者的大多数感音神经性听力损失是由毛细胞损伤引起的，例如药物所致。外毛细胞受损会损害耳蜗放大器，导致对轻柔声音的敏感度丧失以及频率选择性丧失。内毛细胞受损的影响与传导性听力损失大致相同。耳鸣不是由耳声发射引起的，而可能是耳蜗输入丧失后神经支配超敏反应所致。
