A Hypothesis Considering Non-Mechanical Aspects of Conductive Hearing Loss

Abstract

Evidence is accumulating that conductive lesions of the ear do more than just mechanically impede the sound presented to the cochlea. A resolving hypothesis is proposed which appears plausible both from a physiological and a psychological point of view. This hypothesis is based on the assumption that deprivation of sound to the cochlea produces, over an extended period of time, a slower replenishment of chemical mediators to the receptor. Such a theory could then explain not only the temporary threshold shift pattern at low-level exposures but also the various evidences of recruitment in conductively involved ears which may be found in the literature.