J232023 Measurement of Human Tympanic Membrane and Auditory Ossicles Vibration

Abstract

The vibration of human tympanic membrane induced by sound is transmitted to a cochlea via auditory ossicles and stimulates an auditory nerve. Therefore, the detailed study of the tympanic membrane vibration and auditory ossicles motion is necessary to elucidate mechanisms of human hearing. In the present study, the sound-induced vibration of tympanic membrane and auditory ossicles was measured by using a laser doppler vibrometer and a surgical microscope in a human subject at two sound frequencies. The vibration was measured at the center of the tympanic membrane and the stapes of auditory ossicles. Experimental results show that the tympanic membrane and stapes vibrate with the frequency of sound and the amplitude of the stapes is smaller than that of the tympanic membrane. This is important because it provides crucial information to create better vibration models of the tympanic membrane and auditory ossicles.