This website is related to NSF grant CMMI #1536830 “ Investigating the Emission of Sounds by the Mammalian Ear Using a Computational Model” .
This research investigates the emissions of sounds, called distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), by the mammalian ear. Normal hearing requires an active feedback mechanism
by outer hair cells (OHCs) in the cochlea. While DPOAEs do not play any functional role, they are a consequence of this nonlinear cochlear amplification process. DPOAEs are commonly measured
in the ear canal in response to a two-tone stimulus in order to obtain indirect information about cochlear function, both in the research laboratory and in the clinic. However, some key unsolved questions regarding DPOAEs need to be answered in order to obtain more information from these measurements.
Animation: wave in response to a pure tone
Animation: wave in response to a two-tone stimulus
Investigation of the 2f1-f2 and 2f2-f1 DPOAE using a computational model