Evaluation of the Medial Olivocochlear Reflex System in Epilepsy Patients

ABS TRACT Objective: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent convulsive and non-convulsive seizures.The olivocochlear system plays a key role in the efferent regulation of the auditory input.This study aimed to evaluate the functional status of the medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent system in individuals with epilepsy.Material and Methods: Thirty-four patients aged 19-59 years diagnosed with epilepsy and 32 healthy controls aged 24-48 years were included.All participants underwent otorhinolaryngologic examination, pure-tone audiometry, transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) measurements at 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000 Hz, and a TEOAE test with contralateral noise for evaluation of the MOC reflex.Results: When the TEOAE test results were evaluated in both ears between the patient and control groups, significant differences were observed at all frequencies (1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000 Hz) (p