title: Reverse propagation of sound in the gerbil cochlea.
abstract: It is commonly believed that the cochlea emits sounds through backward-traveling waves. In the present experiment using a scanning-laser interferometer, I detected forward-traveling but not backward-traveling waves and found that the stapes vibrates earlier than the basilar membrane. These results contradict the current theory and show that the ear emits sounds through the cochlear fluids as compression waves rather than along the basilar membrane as backward-traveling waves.
authors.affiliation: Oregon Hearing Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, NRC 04, Portland, Oregon 97239-3098, USA. rent@ohsu.edu
authors.forename: Tianying
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001489:Basilar Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005849:Gerbillinae; D007368:Interferometry; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013016:Sound; D013199:Stapes / Q000502:physiology*; D014732:Vibration