The metabolic reaction of the cochlea to unphysiological noise exposure.

Guinea pigs were exposed to continuous white noise of 120 dB SPL. The performance included a recording of CM, pO2, and metabolites in the perfusate of the perilymphatic spaces. The metabolic reactions observed following the exposure are limited. No evidence of an overstimulation or of an insufficiency of the energy metabolism in the cochlea could be found. The results suggest the metabolic processes to be secondary to the sound-dependent damage of the organ of Corti after irreversible mechanical destructions in the hair cells.