Abstract
The synchronized spontaneous (SS) otoacoustic emission (OAE) refers to the long-lasting oscillation evoked by clicks after transient-evoked OAEs (TEOAEs) attenuate. This research aims to study the SSOAE spectro-temporal dynamics by comparing human data and simulation. The simulation of SSOAE is based on a computer model of cochlear mechanics. In the model, the roughness of the basilar membrane (BM) can be adjusted and its effects on SSOAE patterns are observed. It is noted that the change in roughness level (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) affects the likelihood distribution between single-frequency, two-frequency, and a band-of-frequencies components. There is a general trend that band-of-frequencies occur more as the roughness level increases. The simulation result shows that, unlike the roughness level of 5% and 10%, roughness levels of 15% and 20% can generate SOAE oscillation below 2 kHz. Signal patterns of simulation are similar to what is observed in human SSOAE data, and thus support the standing wave theory of SOAE.