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Abstract
The human vestibule has preserved an ancestral sound sensitivity and it has been suggested
that a reflex could originate from this property underlying cervical muscle micro-contractions
secondary to strong acoustic stimulation. Previous studies have established that an
early component of loud sound-evoked myogenic potentials from the sternocleidomastoid
muscle originate in the vestibule. This is based on findings that the response can
still be obtained from patients with complete loss of cochlear and vestibular (semi-circular
canal) function. Our data confirm, in a more direct way, a saccular origin of this
short-latency acoustic response and verifies that a saccular acoustic response persists
in the human ear. The contribution of this response to the perception of loud sounds
is discussed. It is concluded that vestibular response to sound might be used to assist
in the rehabilitation of deafness.