[Psychoacoustic tuning in normal and pathological ears].

Since simplified methods have been generated to measure psychoacoustic tuning curves (PTC), they have proved to be useful in clinical workup. Nevertheless, further research is necessary for high level tuning. In the present study PTCs have been generated utilizing a discrete simultaneous masking tone-on-tone paradigm. Thresholds were determined using an adaptive up-down transformed procedure, thus obtaining normative data. The experimental groups allowed frequency-independent, mild to moderate hearing loss, in order to minimize such variable. Results indicate that PTCs were normal in 8 subjects suffering from conductive hearing loss and abnormal in 8 subjects with cochlear loss. Normative high level data and a new quantifying index confirms these results.