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what effect does the ability to sense tinnitus above 20khz have on us?
we can hear tinnitus but it also correlates to changes in the brain and can be detected. Therefore would it not be reasonable to ask this?
Furthermore it is often said that there is no place in the basilar membrane for resonance to occur >20khz however is it known whether the capacity to still sense ultrasonic frequencies exists?
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tinnitus is not merely a sound perceived in the brain. But it is some change in the brain and tinnitus perception causes measurable activity in parts of the brain.
we are used to only hearing 20-20khz and are physically capable of hearing upto 20khz or perhaps abit more. however, that is according to the mechanism of the outer, middle, inner ear but not necessarily further up to the hearing nerve . It is said that the saccule may play a part in enabling such high frequencies to be heard, but even if there is no place where such vibrations can exist, how do we know whether or not further up, the hearing nerve may be able to transmit and enable us to perceive such high ''frequencies''?
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I am sure if you would somehow feed ultrasound into the brain often enough, it would eventually be able to interpret this as well (i.e. we would be able to 'hear' it). But this would be a new stage of evolution then, and take correspondingly long.
Thomas
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