The aim of the present study was to compare distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) to loudness with regard to the potentiality of DPOAEs to determine characteristic quantities of the cochlear-impaired ear and to derive objective hearing aid parameters. Recently, Neely et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 114, 1499–1507 (2003)] compared DPOAE input/output functions to the Fletcher and Munson [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 5, 82–108 (1933)] loudness function finding a close resemblance in the slope characteristics of both measures. The present study extended their work by performing both loudness and DPOAE measurements in the same subject sample, and by developing a method for the estimation of gain needed to compensate for loss of cochlear sensitivity and compression. DPOAEs and loudness exhibited similar behavior when plotted on a logarithmic scale and slope increased with increasing hearing loss, confirming the findings of Neely et al. To compensate for undesired nonpathological impacts on the magnitude of DPOAE level, normalization of DPOAE data was implemented. A close resemblance between gain functions based on loudness and normalized DPOAE data was achieved. These findings suggest that DPOAEs are able to quantify the loss of cochlear sensitivity and compression and thus might provide parameters for a noncooperative hearing aid adjustment.
REFERENCES
1.
Allen
, J. B.
, Hall
, J. L.
, and Jeng
, P. S.
(1990
). “Loudness growth in -octave bands (LGOB)—A procedure for the assessment of loudness
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
88
, 745
–753
.2.
Boege
, P.
, and Janssen
, T.
(2002
). “Pure-tone threshold estimation from extrapolated distortion product otoacoustic emission I/O-functions in normal and cochlear hearing loss ears
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
111
, 1810
–1818
.3.
Brand
, T.
, and Hohmann
, V.
(2002
). “An adaptive procedure for categorical loudness scaling
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
112
, 1597
–1604
.4.
Brownell
, W. E.
(1990
). “Outer hair cell electromotility and otoacoustic emissions
,” Ear Hear.
11
, 82
–92
.5.
Dallos
, P.
(1992
). “The active cochlea
,” J. Neurosci.
12
, 4575
–4585
.6.
Dorn
, P. A.
, Konrad-Martin
, D.
, Neely
, S. T.
, Keefe
, D. H.
, Cyr
, E.
, and Gorga
, M. P.
(2001
). “Distortion product otoacoustic emission input/output functions in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired human ears
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
110
, 3119
–3131
.7.
Fletcher
, H.
, and Munson
, W. A.
(1933
). “Loudness, its definition, measurement and calculation
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
5
, 82
–108
.8.
Geiger
, P. A.
, and Firestone
, F. A.
(1933
). “The estimation of fractional loudness
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
5
, 25
–30
.9.
Gorga
, M. P.
, Neely
, S. T.
, Dorn
, P. A.
, and Hoover
, B. M.
(2003a
). “Further efforts to predict pure-tone thresholds from distortion product otoacoustic emission input/output functions
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
113
, 3275
–3284
.10.
Gorga
, M. P.
, Neely
, S. T.
, Dierking
, D. M.
, Dorn
, P. A.
, Hoover
, B. M.
, and Fitzpatrick
, D. F.
(2003b
). “Distortion product otoacoustic emission suppression tuning curves in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired human ears
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
114
, 263
–278
.11.
Heller
, O.
(1985
). “Hörfeldaudiometrie mit dem Verfahren der Kategorienunterteilung (KU)
,” Psychologische Beiträge
27
, 478
–493
(in German).12.
Hellman
, R. P.
, and Meiselman
, C. H.
(1990
). “Loudness relations for individuals and groups in normal and impaired hearing
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
88
, 2596
–2606
.13.
Hellman
, R. P.
, and Meiselman
, C. H.
(1993
). “Rate of loudness growth for pure tones in normal and impaired hearing
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
93
, 966
–975
.14.
Hellman
, R. P.
, and Zwislocki
, J. J.
(1961
). “Some factors affecting the estimation of loudness
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
33
, 687
–694
.15.
Hohmann
, V.
, and Kollmeier
, B.
(1995
). “Weiterentwicklung und klinischer Einsatz der Hörfeldskalierung
,” Audiologische Akustik
34
, 48
–59
(in German).16.
Janssen
, T.
, Kummer
, P.
, and Arnold
, W.
(1995
). “Wachstumsverhalten der Distorsionproduktemissionen bei kochleären Hörstörungen
,” Otorhinolaryngol. NOVA
5
, 34
–46
(in German).17.
Janssen
, T.
, Kummer
, P.
, and Arnold
, W.
(1998
). “Growth behavior of the distortion product otoacoustic emission in tinnitus
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
103
, 3418
–3430
.18.
Johnstone
, B. M.
, Patuzzi
, R.
, and Yates
, G.
(1986
). “Basilar membrane measurements and the travelling wave
,” Hear. Res.
22
, 147
–153
.19.
Kollmeier, B. (1997). Hörflächenskalierung—Grundlagen und Anwendung der kategorialen Lautheitsskalierung für Hördiagnostik und Hörgeräte-Versorgung, (Median, Heidelberg, Germany) (in German).
20.
Kummer
, P.
, Janssen
, T.
, and Arnold
, W.
(1995
). “Suppression tuning characteristics of the distortion-product otoacoustic emissions in humans
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
98
, 197
–210
.21.
Kummer
, P.
, Janssen
, T.
, and Arnold
, W.
(1998
). “The level and growth behavior of the distortion product otoacoustic emission and its relationship to auditory sensitivity in normal hearing and cochlear hearing loss
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
103
, 3431
–3444
.22.
Kummer
, P.
, Janssen
, T.
, Hulin
, P.
, and Arnold
, W.
(2000
). “Optimal primary tone level separation remains independent of test frequency in humans
,” Hear. Res.
146
, 47
–56
.23.
Launer, S. (1995). “Loudness perception in listeners with sensorineural hearing loss,” Ph.D. Thesis, Oldenburg, Germany.
24.
Madsen (2000). Aurical Reference Guide, Copenhagen, Denmark, Chap. 3.6, pp. 66–91.
25.
Moore
, B. C.
, and Glasberg
, B. R.
(2004
). “A revised model of loudness perception applied to cochlear hearing loss
,” Hear. Res.
188
, 70
–88
.26.
Moore
, B. C. J.
, Glasberg
, B. R.
, and Vickers
, D. A.
(1999
). “Further evaluation of a model of loudness perception applied to cochlear hearing loss
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
106
, 898
–907
.27.
Neely
, S. T.
, and Gorga
, M. P.
(1998
). “Comparison between intensity and pressure as measures of sound level in the ear canal
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
104
, 2925
–2934
.28.
Neely
, S. T.
, Gorga
, M. P.
, and Dorn
, P. A.
(2003
). “Cochlear compression estimates from measurements of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
114
, 1499
–1507
.29.
Oswald
, J. A.
, and Janssen
, T.
(2003
). “Weighted DPOAE Input/Output-functions: A tool for automatic assessment of hearing loss in clinical application
,” Z. Med. Phys.
13
, 93
–98
.30.
Oxenham
, A. J.
, and Plack
, C. J.
(1997
). “A behavioral measure of basilar-membrane nonlinearity in listeners with normal and impaired hearing
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
101
, 3666
–3675
.31.
Pascoe
, D. P.
(1978
). “An approach to hearing aid selection
,” Hear. Instrum.
29
, 12
–16
.32.
Relkin
, E. M.
, and Doucet
, J. R.
(1997
). “Is loudness simply proportional to the auditory nerve spike count?
” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
101
, 2735
–2740
.33.
Rhode
, W. S.
(1971
). “Observations of the vibration of the basilar membrane in squirrel monkeys using the Mössbauer technique
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
49
, 1218
–1231
.34.
Ruggero
, M. A.
, Rich
, N. C.
, Recio
, A.
, Narayan
, S.
, and Robles
, L.
(1997
). “Basilar-membrane responses to tones at the base of the chinchilla cochlea
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
101
, 2151
–2163
.35.
Russell
, I.
, and Schauz
, C.
(1995
). “Salicylate ototoxity: Effects on the stiffness and electromotility of outer hair cells isolated from the guinea pig cochlea
,” Aud. Neurosci.
1
, 309
–319
.36.
Schlauch
, R. S.
, DiGiovanni
, J. J.
, and Ries
, D. T.
(1998
). “Basilar membrane nonlinearity and loudness
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
103
, 2010
–2020
.37.
Siegel
, J. H.
(1994
). “Ear-canal standing waves and high-frequency sound calibration using otoacoustic emission probes
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
95
, 2589
–2597
.38.
Steinberg
, J. C.
, and Gardner
, M. B.
(1937
). “The dependence of hearing impairment on sound intensity
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
9
, 11
–23
.39.
Stevens
, S. S.
(1957
). “On the psychophysical law
,” Psychol. Rev.
64
, 153
–181
.40.
Whitehead
, M. L.
, Stagner
, B. B.
, Lonsbury-Martin
, B. L.
, and Martin
, G. K.
(1995
). “Effects of ear-canal standing waves on measurements of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
98
, 3200
–3214
.41.
Yates
, G. K.
, Winter
, I. M.
, and Robertson
, D.
(1990
). “Basilar membrane nonlinearity determines auditory nerve rate-intensity functions and cochlear dynamic range
,” Hear. Res.
45
, 203
–219
.42.
Zhang
, M.
, and Zwislocki
, J. J.
(1995
). “OHC response recruitment and its correlation with loudness recruitment
,” Hear. Res.
85
, 1
–10
.43.
Zwicker
, E.
(1958
). “Über psychologische und methodische Grundlagen der Lautheit
,” Acustica
1
, 237
–258
(in German).
This content is only available via PDF.
© 2004 Acoustical Society of America.
2004
Acoustical Society of America
You do not currently have access to this content.
