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The eardrums move when the eyes move: A multisensory effect on the mechanics of hearing.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Gruters, KG; Murphy, DLK; Jenson, CD; Smith, DW; Shera, CA; Groh, JM
Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
February 2018

Interactions between sensory pathways such as the visual and auditory systems are known to occur in the brain, but where they first occur is uncertain. Here, we show a multimodal interaction evident at the eardrum. Ear canal microphone measurements in humans (n = 19 ears in 16 subjects) and monkeys (n = 5 ears in three subjects) performing a saccadic eye movement task to visual targets indicated that the eardrum moves in conjunction with the eye movement. The eardrum motion was oscillatory and began as early as 10 ms before saccade onset in humans or with saccade onset in monkeys. These eardrum movements, which we dub eye movement-related eardrum oscillations (EMREOs), occurred in the absence of a sound stimulus. The amplitude and phase of the EMREOs depended on the direction and horizontal amplitude of the saccade. They lasted throughout the saccade and well into subsequent periods of steady fixation. We discuss the possibility that the mechanisms underlying EMREOs create eye movement-related binaural cues that may aid the brain in evaluating the relationship between visual and auditory stimulus locations as the eyes move.

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Published In

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

DOI

EISSN

1091-6490

ISSN

0027-8424

Publication Date

February 2018

Volume

115

Issue

6

Start / End Page

E1309 / E1318

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Tympanic Membrane
  • Saccades
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Male
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Humans
  • Hearing
  • Female
  • Brain
 

Citation

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Gruters, K. G., Murphy, D. L. K., Jenson, C. D., Smith, D. W., Shera, C. A., & Groh, J. M. (2018). The eardrums move when the eyes move: A multisensory effect on the mechanics of hearing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115(6), E1309–E1318. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1717948115
Gruters, Kurtis G., David L. K. Murphy, Cole D. Jenson, David W. Smith, Christopher A. Shera, and Jennifer M. Groh. “The eardrums move when the eyes move: A multisensory effect on the mechanics of hearing.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 115, no. 6 (February 2018): E1309–18. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1717948115.
Gruters KG, Murphy DLK, Jenson CD, Smith DW, Shera CA, Groh JM. The eardrums move when the eyes move: A multisensory effect on the mechanics of hearing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2018 Feb;115(6):E1309–18.
Gruters, Kurtis G., et al. “The eardrums move when the eyes move: A multisensory effect on the mechanics of hearing.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 115, no. 6, Feb. 2018, pp. E1309–18. Epmc, doi:10.1073/pnas.1717948115.
Gruters KG, Murphy DLK, Jenson CD, Smith DW, Shera CA, Groh JM. The eardrums move when the eyes move: A multisensory effect on the mechanics of hearing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2018 Feb;115(6):E1309–E1318.
Journal cover image

Published In

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

DOI

EISSN

1091-6490

ISSN

0027-8424

Publication Date

February 2018

Volume

115

Issue

6

Start / End Page

E1309 / E1318

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Tympanic Membrane
  • Saccades
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Male
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Humans
  • Hearing
  • Female
  • Brain