期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：2002
卷号：99
期号：5
页码：3318-3323
DOI：10.1073/pnas.032675099
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：We develop an objective, noninvasive method for determining the frequency selectivity of cochlear tuning at low and moderate sound levels. Applicable in humans at frequencies of 1 kHz and above, the method is based on the measurement of stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions and, unlike previous noninvasive physiological methods, does not depend on the frequency selectivity of masking or suppression. The otoacoustic measurements indicate that at low sound levels human cochlear tuning is more than twice as sharp as implied by standard behavioral studies and has a different dependence on frequency. New behavioral measurements designed to minimize the influence of nonlinear effects such as suppression agree with the emission-based values. A comparison of cochlear tuning in cat, guinea pig, and human indicates that, contrary to common belief, tuning in the human cochlea is considerably sharper than that found in the other mammals. The sharper tuning may facilitate human speech communication.
