Abstract:  Middle-ear muscle reflex (MEMR) thresholds are routinely measured in the audiology clinic. Recent research has shown that MEMR thresholds are elevated in people with evidence of afferent synapse loss, despite normal audiometric hearing (i.e., “hidden hearing loss”). To measure MEMR, acoustic elicitors are classically presented in discrete steps in sound level and frequency while a 226 Hz probe tone is used to monitor reflex activation. Clinical and research data efforts could benefit from faster data collection. We recently developed a MEMR measurement paradigm that makes rapid measurements with an elicitor noise that continuously sweeps in level and a probe click that simultaneously measures over a broad range of test frequencies. Our measurements characterize the MEMR in terms of onset and offset thresholds, growth rates, hysteresis, and peak levels. Measurements from 30 participants will be presented, including retest reliability. Measurements from the new paradigm will be compared with those obtained using discretely varying stimuli.

This year’s SHRP schedule is available here: https://purdue.edu/TPAN/hearing/shrp_schedule

Titles and abstracts of all SHRP talks are here: https://purdue.edu/TPAN/hearing/shrp_abstracts