Effect of low level acoustic stimulation on temporary threshold shift in young humans.

To assess the effect of a low level acoustic stimulation on the susceptibility to noise, young human subjects were exposed to music at 70 dBA for 6 h per day during 9 days (training period). Noise sensitivity was assessed by measuring temporary threshold shift (TTS) induced by 105 dBSPL, 1/3 octave band noise at 2 kHz for 10 min. On the fifth day of the training period, a significant decrease of TTS was observed in the frequency range 3-3.5 kHz, in comparison with the baseline TTS obtained before being trained. As the training continued, the frequency range which showed a significant reduction of TTS expanded to 2-5 kHz.