Normal and impaired level encoding: Effects of noise-induced hearing loss on auditory-nerve responses

A major constraint for listeners with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is the reduced acoustic dynamic range associated with loudness recruitment; however, the physiological correlates of loudness and recruitment are still not well understood. Recent psychophysical results challenge some of the classic concepts of recruitment (Buus and Florentine 2001), and suggest that the dynamic range of loudness is also reduced. These results have potentially significant implications for hearing aids that have renewed an interest in how SNHL affects level encoding in the auditory nerve (AN). The present study compares several AN response properties related to level encoding in normal-hearing cats and in cats with a noise-induced hearing loss.

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