Origin of the Wever and Bray Phenomenon

Abstract

IT has been shown by Witmaack and more recently confirmed by Kaida¹, that following division of the VIII nerve in the cat central to the peripheral cochlear and vestibular ganglia, the ramus cochlearis fails to conform with the well-known Wallerian law in that the nerve elements including the spiral ganglion distal to the point of section undergo degeneration. In the following experiment, use has been made of this fact to adduce evidence bearing upon the problem of origin of the potential changes generated within the intact mammalian cochlea, in response and of a frequency corresponding to physiologically applied sound waves (Wever and Bray phenomenon).