Cations in the Endolymph With Noise-Induced Deafness

The endolymphatic Na+and K+changes in response to intense acoustical stimulation were monitored in vivo with cation sensitive glass electrodes in normal and noise-induced deaf guinea pigs to study the effect of destruction of the organ of Corti on endolymphatic cationic changes. Intense acoustic stimulation did not produce appreciable increases or decreases in the Na+and K+concentration of the endolymph of noise-induced deaf guinea pigs as compared with normal control guinea pigs. The possibility that ionic exchange between the endolymph and the organ of Corti or between the endolymph and the perilymph in the scala tympani through the organ of Corti occurs in response to intense acoustic stimulation is discussed.