Figure 1.

Comparison of typical audiograms between subjects with high and low values for PC1, PC2 and PC3. For each of the three traits, three subjects from the lower and upper 10% extremes of the distribution of the trait are shown. The audiograms for both ears are given, to illustrate the extent of intra-subject variability. The left and right ears correspond to the filled and open circles, respectively. For PC1, on average, hearing loss is much more pronounced in individuals from the higher extremes (top row) as compared with those from the lower extremes (second row from the top). Subjects with low values for PC2 (fourth row from the top) tend to have a much more sloping audiogram, compared with those with high values for PC2 (third row from the top). Subjects with high values for PC3 (second row from the bottom) tend to have a more concave audiogram, compared with those in the lower extreme for PC3 (bottom row). Note that the displayed audiometric data have not been adjusted for sex and age.