Changes in human eighth nerve action potential as a function of stimulation rate.
The primary clinical utility of electrocochleography at the Louisiana State University Medical Center is the detection of hearing losses in children. This frequently requires the administration of a general anesthetic. Time required for this procedure could be shortened if stimuli were presented at a more rapid rate than the customary 10/s, provided the response amplitude is not significantly diminished by adaptation. The response amplitudes of 12 subjects were studied at stimulus rates of 10, 20, 40, and 80/s. An increase of response amplitude on the order of approximately 3:1 over the 10/s rate was found for the 80/s rate when the test interval for each was equal.
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000200:Action Potentials; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D000159:Vestibulocochlear Nerve / Q000502:physiology*