Exploring the unmasking effects of medial olivocochlear reflex pathway by computer simulation

• Main Authors: Chiu, Kuo-Chieh, 邱國捷
• Other Authors: Liu, Yi-Wen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/20311524323645197286

碩士 === 國立清華大學 === 電機工程學系 === 101 === The main purpose of this thesis is to simulate human’s ear hearing physiological phenomena-the masking effect and unmasking effect. Both of these two are helpful for our ears, which are able to use the medial olivocochlear(Medial Olivocochlear, MOC) to affect outer hair cells. MOC has a negative feedback which connects to outer hearing cells. Our hearing system might be damaged when the amplitude on the Basilar Membrane is too large. Hence, the MOC will suppress it and the motility of outer hearing cells would be reduced so that the vibration of Basilar Membrane would also calm down. This results in decreasing the number of the action potentials made by our hearing nerves. In this way we are able to protect our hearing system. The mentioned above is so-called masking effect.On the other hand, as for the unmasking effect, while we are exposed to the noisy environment, we can have more suppression for the noise and the less suppression for the letters if we get the MOC. As a result, even if we are in a noisy place, we can still use this to make the letter we received much clearer, and that is unmasking effect.This researching model is based on the middle ear to the cochlea, which was referred by Liu and Neely(2009)(2010), and then it combines with a variety of models for our physiological hearing, eventually leads to a hearing pathway model.Right now we are looking forward to using this model (change some parameters if needed) to simulate the effect of Basilar Membrane by using MOC, and then we see the situation of the hearing nerves effected by MOC. Hopefully, we expect to give some devoting to the hearing diagnosis and the psychoacoustics.