Middle-ear structures contribute little to auditory perception of microwaves.
The contribution of the ossicles (middle-ear bones) to auditory perception of microwaves was evaluated by the brain-stem evoked response (BER). Amplitude and latency of BERs were recorded from guinea pigs that were stimulated at various intensities by acoustic pulses coupled to the auditory canal or via bone conduction, and by microwave pulses. Blocking of the external ear, middle-ear damping, and middle-ear destruction produced little change in the BERs that were elicited by microwave pulses. Results indicate that activity in the central auditory pathway as induced by pulsed microwaves only requires stimulation of the cochlea. Conduction of pressure waves through the bones of the calvarium appears to be the mechanism responsible in perception of pulsed microwaves.
D000818:Animals; D001306:Auditory Pathways; D001307:Auditory Perception; D001844:Bone Conduction; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology; D003055:Cochlear Microphonic Potentials; D004429:Ear Ossicles / Q000502:physiology; D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000502:physiology*; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008872:Microwaves