A sound engineer monitors a concert using headphones, but excessively high sound pressure levels damage the hair cells within the cochlea. What causes temporary threshold shift after this?

💡 Explanation

Temporary threshold shift occurs because stereocilia damage impairs the mechanoelectrical transduction process. Disrupted structural integrity alters the ability to effectively convert mechanical sound waves into electrical signals, therefore the ear requires a higher intensity sound for stimulation, rather than neural or fluid changes being the primary cause.

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