Temporary threshold shift modified by binaural acoustic stimulation.

Monaural losses in hearing sensitivity induced by an intense pure tone could be reduced if an acoustic stimulus of the same frequency was simultaneously delivered to the other ear. The reduction was eliminated when the contralateral stimulus was set at a frequency other than the ipsilateral trauma frequency and also after the administration of strychnine, a known blocker of auditory efferent activity. This suggests that acoustic activation of auditory efferents is responsible for the reduced ipsilateral sensitivity loss.