Masculinization of the mammalian cochlea.
Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) differ between the sexes in humans, rhesus and marmoset monkeys, and sheep. OAEs also are different in a number of special populations of humans. Those basic findings are reviewed and discussed in the context of possible prenatal-androgen effects on the auditory system. A parsimonious explanation for several outcomes is that prenatal exposure to high levels of androgens can weaken the cochlear amplifiers and thereby weaken otoacoustic emissions (OAEs). Prenatal androgen exposure apparently also can alter auditory evoked potentials (AEPs). Some non-hormonal factors possibly capable of producing sex and group differences are discussed, and some speculations are offered about specific cochlear structures that might differ between the two sexes.
McFadden
Dennis
D
Department of Psychology and Center for Perceptual Systems, University of Texas at Austin, Seay Building, 1 University Station, A8000, Austin, TX 78712-0187, USA. mcfadden@psy.utexas.edu
D000312:Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital / Q000196:embryology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013734:Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome / Q000196:embryology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000728:Androgens / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000503:physiopathology; D003051:Cochlea / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity
D000728:Androgens