FIG. 8.

Simulated middle ear effusion induced delays (in microseconds) in transmission of sound to the inner ear across four frequencies (0.25–2 kHz) for different volumes (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 ml, and bulla full) and viscosities of silicone oil (n = 13 ears); negative value indicate delays in the CM waveforms re: baseline. The induced delays remained nearly consistent for fluid viscosities above 3.5 P (A, 3.5 P; B, 100 P; C, 600 P). There was an effect of fluid volume on sound transmission delay for all three viscosities tested, with significant increases in delay for all fluid volumes >0.5 ml. Symbols and error bars indicate the across-animal mean delay and ±1 SD, respectively.