Résumé
To investigate the functional state of the auditory nerve fibers (ANFs), the electrophysiological tests routinely used in clinics (electrocochleography and evoked potentials of the auditory nerve and brainstem) only capture the first action potentials firing in synchrony at the onset of the acoustic stimulation. Unfortunately, no information concerning spontaneous rate and adaptation time constants can be obtained from such far-field potentials. By combining neuronal activity measurements at the round window and signal-processing algorithms, we constructed a peri-stimulus time response (PSTR), with a waveform similar to the peri-stimulus time histograms (PSTHs) derived from single-fiber recordings in young adult female gerbils. The predictive model derived from gerbils was then validated in mice and finally applied to humans This study offers a promising diagnostic tool to map the human auditory nerve, thus opening new avenues to better understanding auditory neuropathies, tinnitus, and hyperacusis. (c) 2023 l'Academie nationale de medecine. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.