What proportion of folks have voluntary control of their tensor tympani?

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GeraldMonroe

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I'm reading a lecture on the ear today for neuroscience class, and I noticed that the tensor tympani is connected to the eardrum. Wiki claims that a small number of people have voluntary control of this muscle. The people who can voluntarily contract it will experience a rumbling sound.

It evidently uses cranial nerve V, while the stapedius muscle right next to it uses cranial nerve VII. I wonder if a spot on the motor homunculus maps to this muscle, or if there's another routing.

Is voluntary control of this muscle common or rare?

I'm curious about this because I've always been able to flex this muscle, and I'm wondering what nerve wiring makes it possible, or prevents it from working in some people.

As the ability or lack of it has no health consequences, I don't think my question is asking for medical advice.

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I'm reading a lecture on the ear today for neuroscience class, and I noticed that the tensor tympani is connected to the eardrum. Wiki claims that a small number of people have voluntary control of this muscle. The people who can voluntarily contract it will experience a rumbling sound.

It evidently uses cranial nerve V, while the stapedius muscle right next to it uses cranial nerve VII. I wonder if a spot on the motor homunculus maps to this muscle, or if there's another routing.

Is voluntary control of this muscle common or rare?

I'm curious about this because I've always been able to flex this muscle, and I'm wondering what nerve wiring makes it possible, or prevents it from working in some people.

As the ability or lack of it has no health consequences, I don't think my question is asking for medical advice.
...
 
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I really doubt you will find any data on the prevalence of self-control over middle-ear muscles. I think most reports are in case studies but I could be wrong. Also, I don't know how control over the tensor tympani would be distinguished from that of the stapedial reflex. Acoustic reflex thresholds testing using standard immittance equipment might be interesting to look at for you but I don't know why some can control it while others can't.
 
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I suspect that nearly everyone can develop this skill.

It is necessary for equalizing the ear pressure while descending to depths. I often see inexperienced divers covering their nose with their fingers and exhaling, swallowing, tugging on ear, moving the jaw, etc., but the experienced just consciously open the tubes without any extraneous movement. Spend a few days free diving with a lot of gear such as spears, cameras, or lobster gear and you will probably become a master.

I remember struggling with this as a beginner. I always have heavy allergies - lots of gunk in those tubes making the equalization more difficult. Now it is as if I am consciously aware of the entire tube and it contents and can sequentially activate the appropriate muscles - with an appropriate sequence dependent on the location, viscosity, and quantity of all the gunk.


I wonder if, in addition to nervous training experienced by one repetitively equalizing ones ears and clearing gunk, the exercise strengthens the muscles - resulting in even greater command of the tubes. Are these muscles used infrequently enough that clearing ones ears a few hundred times a day should be considered significant exercise?

Another trick I like to do is blow my uvula over top of the tip of my tongue. Can yall do that?
 
Another trick I like to do is blow my uvula over top of the tip of my tongue. Can yall do that?

Of course not : how's this even anatomically possible? Isn't the uvula extremely short and the tongue extremely long?
 
Of course not : how's this even anatomically possible? Isn't the uvula extremely short and the tongue extremely long?

Curl the tongue backwards, so that the tip of the tongue touches the the uvula, but the uvula is still behind the tongue. Then exhale, not through the nose but through the narrow slit between the tip of your tongue and the soft palate. This forces the uvula forward, such that the tip of the tongue is in contact with the back of the uvula.

Try it.
 
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That's quite a feat. Any way to use it...

Err, any way for a heterosexual man to use it?
 
The people who can voluntarily contract it will experience a rumbling sound.
Do you all get a rumbling sound? For me it is just a pop or click like when the ears pop on an airplane.

I did not realize that I was using my tensor tympani to open my tubes, but I remember playing with this as a little kid at catholic school. I would hum, and then open my tubes, causing the sound to appear louder and of a different pitch to me. I remember thinking that it was a cool and asking people if it sounded differently pitched and super loud to them. Other kids just told me to quit being a ****.


That's quite a feat. Any way to use it...

Err, any way for a heterosexual man to use it?
The purpose of these things, like all things, is to impress women. Women are aroused by a skilled tongue.
 
Do you all get a rumbling sound? For me it is just a pop or click like when the ears pop on an airplane.

I did not realize that I was using my tensor tympani to open my tubes, but I remember playing with this as a little kid at catholic school. I would hum, and then open my tubes, causing the sound to appear louder and of a different pitch to me. I remember thinking that it was a cool and asking people if it sounded differently pitched and super loud to them. Other kids just told me to quit being a ****.

You're not using your tensor tympani. This would not make a 'popping' or clicking sound, it would be a contraction against your tympanic membrane that would muffle sounds and cause rumbling.

I know what it sounds like because I can absolutely 100% do this. I always thought that what what I was doing but I thought it was impossible so I just wrote it off as something weird I can do. I can consciously contract my tensor tympani and there is a distinct loud rumble when I do it. This post, mentioning that it was possible, was the only thing I've ever heard about it, and I am completely sure that it is what I'm doing.

It's kinda cool to be able to do something so rare.
 
Wow. I was completely spaced out earlier. I was thinking of the tensor veli palatini. Makes more sense that the tensor tympani would make a sound. :oops:
 
As my username indicates, I am neither a doctor nor a medical student, but rather a high school science teacher. I must chime in on the voluntary control of the tensor tympani because, like SpookyDoc, I know exactly what this sounds like.

Rumbling is a good description. It's something like slightly muted, low pitched white noise. I have control over its volume, but not the pitch. (It would be interesting to measure its pitch by comparing with a white noise frequency generator, and it would be interesting to compare the pitch produced by different people who have it.)

For as long as I can remember I've "played" with this inside my ear. I've always used it to work out little musical rhythms in my head (well, in my ear, really), much as some people tap their teeth together or hum when thinking about tunes. As a young child I coined a term, "kakaines", for the phenomenon I was hearing. (Not sure where that term came from, but those were the days of long road trips without video games, so plenty of time for imagination). It wasn't until adulthood that I realized not everyone had it. No one in my immediate family has it. Although kakaines is a very real thing, it's extremely hard to describe to others, and impossible to show them. My wife still thinks I'm making it up!

I would like to know how rare this phenomenon is and anything else about it that is known. Is there any medical literature?

The only relevant scrap I could find on the web was this: http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/1999-09/937369459.Gb.r.html
 
OK...since I'm getting ready to take Step I, let me jump in on this to make sure I've got my anatomy/physiology tied together correctly (since there are several ideas being thrown around here).

First, as you guys have pointed out, the stapedius muscle is innervated by CN VII (one of those 2nd pharyngeal pouch muscles). It contacts the stapes and helps dampen sounds (which is why people with Bell's palsy are hyper-sensitive to loud noises).

The tensor tympani is innervated by the mandibular branch of CN V (i.e. V3) which would be a first pharyngeal pouch muscle.

The tensor levator and tensor veli palatini muscles are part of the taurus tuberius which surrounds the eustachian tubes. I believe these are the muscles that are being controlled by those who can easily equalize when diving.

Sound correct so far?

I've been diving for years, and can equalize without ever having to touch my nose. The best way to describe it is that I've learned how to create a protracted yawn while I descend.

As far as the rumbling noise, I can do that as well (at least I think its what you guys are describing). I've never heard that it is associated with my tensor tempani, but that might make sense. I can do it voluntarily, but it also occurs when I yawn.
 
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Uhmm, I can make that rumbling noise too. I doubt this is anything rare.
 
Wikipedia also guided me here...

I've been doing this since I was a kid, when I tried to explain it to my sister, she said I was just "ignoring" people.

There are are actually two I can do, one's a click (I'm not sure what it is, but it accompanies a very small involuntary swallowing moving) and the other is the rumbling thing, except rumbling doesn't quite describe it...

It's more like a muffled rumbling? and if I press harder, it becomes more muffled...

I'm pretty excited to find out I'm not alone : D
 
The click is the equalization of pressure as you yawn/chew gum/whatever which opens the eustachian tube, the rumbling is the tensor tympani making your TM vibrate. I can only do this in my left ear.
 
The cool breeze felt in the Eustachian is nice...
 
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It seems there are two topics going on here. The OP inquired about volitional control over the tensor tympani. As I have previously stated, I am not aware of any technique that can determine whether volitional control is acting upon the tensor tympani, the stapedius, or both. If anyone is aware of any type of training that can be performed to teach someone to contract their middle-ear muscles, I would be very interested in learning this for research purposes.

The second topic concerns volitional control over the tensor and levator veli palatini muscles in order to control equilibration of middle-ear pressure via the eustachian tube. Most normal, healthy adults should have reasonably good control over this but clinical techniques for measuring this are typically unsatisfactory (e.g., tympanometry, sonotubometry). I certainly believe that some people can be trained to have greater control over this but there is a considerable degree of intersubject variability and not everyone can eventually develop this ability even though they are seemingly normal. I'm sure some ENTs here have encountered airline attendants (or maybe pilots) that have needed PE tubes due to poor eustachian tube function. Again, if anyone is aware of a reasonably easy technique to train subjects to better control eustachian tube equalization (not including diving, flying, or pressure chambers) I would be very interested in hearing about this (no pun intended).
 
Read this forum awhile ago and came across this info while reading today. "Contraction of the middle ear muscles can also be used by nonauditory factors, including 1) spontaneous contractions 2) body movements 3) Vocalizations in which contractions prior to vocalization 4) movements of facial muscles involving only the tensor tympani 5) stimulation of the external ear canal and 6) VOLUNTARY contractions. The paragraph sites these journal articles:

Salomon G, Starr A. Electromyography of middle ear muscles in man during motor activities. Acta Neurol Scand 1963;39:161-8

Klockhoff IH. Middle ear muscle reflexes in man. Acta Otolaryngol Suppl (Stockh) 1961;164:1

Reger SN. Effect of middle ear muscle action on certain psychophysical measurements. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1960;69:1179-98

Just in case any of you were intrested in further info.
 
you are correct about what you have written but there are a small subset of persons who have the ability to voluntarily contract their middle-ear muscles....i guess looking at the onset latency might help distinguish tensor tympani from stapedius but that is not entirely clear
 
Ever since I can remember, I too have had control of an inner ear muscle. It seems to match up with the rumbling/clicking description - I can sort of control whether it is more of a click or more of a protracted rumble. Recently, I realized that I could move the right ear/left ear muscles independently also, which is one reason I started researching more about this. Wikipedia led me here, like some others it seems.

Has anyone found more information about this/links to other resources? I am very curious to find out more.
 
Yes, yes, yes.....this possible and I can do it as I want. I can reduce sounds over 50 % on porpoise ???I can go from little movements up to continuous an high pitching noises... I can count...1-2-3-4......
Other people think that you make things up.......Long time ago I talk to a Dr. Friend of mine, i said to him to use his stethoscope and listen, but he was skeptic about it.....of course, he did not know....
I had this ability all my life and I am glad that I am not the only one. I can keep it moving continuously for minutes but, it is a muscle, and it gets tired and needs to rest.
But, yes...this possible and for me there is no surprise that people think that you are a R-****....Welcome to the Club!!!
 
OK...since I'm getting ready to take Step I, let me jump in on this to make sure I've got my anatomy/physiology tied together correctly (since there are several ideas being thrown around here).

First, as you guys have pointed out, the stapedius muscle is innervated by CN VII (one of those 2nd pharyngeal pouch muscles). It contacts the stapes and helps dampen sounds (which is why people with Bell's palsy are hyper-sensitive to loud noises).

The tensor tympani is innervated by the mandibular branch of CN V (i.e. V3) which would be a first pharyngeal pouch muscle.

The tensor levator and tensor veli palatini muscles are part of the taurus tuberius which surrounds the eustachian tubes. I believe these are the muscles that are being controlled by those who can easily equalize when diving.

Sound correct so far?

I've been diving for years, and can equalize without ever having to touch my nose. The best way to describe it is that I've learned how to create a protracted yawn while I descend.

As far as the rumbling noise, I can do that as well (at least I think its what you guys are describing). I've never heard that it is associated with my tensor tempani, but that might make sense. I can do it voluntarily, but it also occurs when I yawn.
GADoc, Hello. If you have this special condition will be easy for you to analyze it. " I don't even need to blink to play with my inner ear". It has nothing to do with muscles around your mouth or away of the inner ear.... Even I was thinking, when a kid, that was my brain moving....
Believe me, my friend, if you can use Morse code with your hands, I can follow you with my inner ear ...
 
I've been wondering about this since I was five years old. I thought it was some kinda muscle linked to my brain and doing it would decrease my "brain power" although that didn't stop me from using the rumbling sound as a bass drum, accompanied by the snare and hi-hats of my teeth. I was always worried that this was a sign of something being wrong with me, so I've never actually told anyone about this before. The fact that I've looked this up for the first time today is a good example of how much I've repressed conscious thought about this. Anyway, it's nice to know that I'm not suffering from some sort of mutation (a harmful one anyway) and that this is safe to do.
 
I found a documentable way of proving that you can do this when you test contralateral acoustic reflex delays. I do this as well but I have no reflex delay of I am not voluntarily controlling it myself.

I'm reading a lecture on the ear today for neuroscience class, and I noticed that the tensor tympani is connected to the eardrum. Wiki claims that a small number of people have voluntary control of this muscle. The people who can voluntarily contract it will experience a rumbling sound.

It evidently uses cranial nerve V, while the stapedius muscle right next to it uses cranial nerve VII. I wonder if a spot on the motor homunculus maps to this muscle, or if there's another routing.

Is voluntary control of this muscle common or rare?

I'm curious about this because I've always been able to flex this muscle, and I'm wondering what nerve wiring makes it possible, or prevents it from working in some people.

As the ability or lack of it has no health consequences, I don't think my question is asking for medical advice.
 
I think I can control both of these muscles.

I can produce the low, rumbling sound by rolling my eyes up as far as I can with my eyes closed. (I can hear it when my eyes are open as well but I get a much louder sound when my eyelids are closed). But it's not just my eyes doing it - I'm aware I'm doing something else but I have no idea what it is or how I'm controlling it. It's like I mimic the very beginning of a yawn and that's how I'm getting the muscles to contract.

The pop or clicking noise: I can pop my ears (my eustachian tube, whatever) at will. I do this by protruding my lower jaw forward and down at the same time. And just like with the rumbling...there's something else I'm doing and I have no idea what it is or how I'm controlling it. Again the fake yawn thing here.

So there's my input.

By the way...I ended up here by doing a google search on what causes the sound because I find that sometimes the sound is louder than normal and it freaks me out. During these times, I find that even the slightest contraction in my facial muscles will result in the loud rumble. I've always assumed it's when I'm stressed or nervous (this is often - I'm quite neurotic), I tend to get very tense and clench or tighten the muscles in my shoulders, my neck, my back ...and now I'm thinking...in my face. So when I barely move my facial muscles at all -because I'm all clenchy - these tiny muscles are ready to go and therefore need very little effort on my part.

From googling and from reading through this thread, it seems like I don't need to get so freaked out. So thanks. And also it's kinda cool to learn that I'm among only very few people with this ability.

:)
 
I think I can control both of these muscles.

I can produce the low, rumbling sound by rolling my eyes up as far as I can with my eyes closed. (I can hear it when my eyes are open as well but I get a much louder sound when my eyelids are closed). But it's not just my eyes doing it - I'm aware I'm doing something else but I have no idea what it is or how I'm controlling it. It's like I mimic the very beginning of a yawn and that's how I'm getting the muscles to contract.

The pop or clicking noise: I can pop my ears (my eustachian tube, whatever) at will. I do this by protruding my lower jaw forward and down at the same time. And just like with the rumbling...there's something else I'm doing and I have no idea what it is or how I'm controlling it. Again the fake yawn thing here.

So there's my input.

By the way...I ended up here by doing a google search on what causes the sound because I find that sometimes the sound is louder than normal and it freaks me out. During these times, I find that even the slightest contraction in my facial muscles will result in the loud rumble. I've always assumed it's when I'm stressed or nervous (this is often - I'm quite neurotic), I tend to get very tense and clench or tighten the muscles in my shoulders, my neck, my back ...and now I'm thinking...in my face. So when I barely move my facial muscles at all -because I'm all clenchy - these tiny muscles are ready to go and therefore need very little effort on my part.

From googling and from reading through this thread, it seems like I don't need to get so freaked out. So thanks. And also it's kinda cool to learn that I'm among only very few people with this ability.

:)
Hey Thanks!
Your method for hearing the click has enabled me to do so voluntarily now too! I googled my way here after trying to find out what muscles I was using to do get the rumble left and right.

I'm now going to practice my own private beat boxing in my head, jk. I've never been successful diving to depths because of painful ear pressure but I'm going to give the click a try sometime.

A few years ago I had debilitating (for a few days) trigeminal nerve pain which occurred after a dental filling. Hydrocodone provided almost no relief. Except it wasn't from the dentist I determined but had to do with a sinus comfort remedy for approaching weather fronts. I finally figured out I had inflamed my CN V with mild / obvious too moderate side to side light squeezing for pressure relief. Never again for me!

When you figure out a method for voluntarily controlling neurotic behavior, PLEASE post back!

-B

I think I can control both of these muscles.

I can produce the low, rumbling sound by rolling my eyes up as far as I can with my eyes closed. (I can hear it when my eyes are open as well but I get a much louder sound when my eyelids are closed). But it's not just my eyes doing it - I'm aware I'm doing something else but I have no idea what it is or how I'm controlling it. It's like I mimic the very beginning of a yawn and that's how I'm getting the muscles to contract.

The pop or clicking noise: I can pop my ears (my eustachian tube, whatever) at will. I do this by protruding my lower jaw forward and down at the same time. And just like with the rumbling...there's something else I'm doing and I have no idea what it is or how I'm controlling it. Again the fake yawn thing here.

So there's my input.

By the way...I ended up here by doing a google search on what causes the sound because I find that sometimes the sound is louder than normal and it freaks me out. During these times, I find that even the slightest contraction in my facial muscles will result in the loud rumble. I've always assumed it's when I'm stressed or nervous (this is often - I'm quite neurotic), I tend to get very tense and clench or tighten the muscles in my shoulders, my neck, my back ...and now I'm thinking...in my face. So when I barely move my facial muscles at all -because I'm all clenchy - these tiny muscles are ready to go and therefore need very little effort on my part.

From googling and from reading through this thread, it seems like I don't need to get so freaked out. So thanks. And also it's kinda cool to learn that I'm among only very few people with this ability.

:)
 
I'm reading a lecture on the ear today for neuroscience class, and I noticed that the tensor tympani is connected to the eardrum. Wiki claims that a small number of people have voluntary control of this muscle. The people who can voluntarily contract it will experience a rumbling sound.

It evidently uses cranial nerve V, while the stapedius muscle right next to it uses cranial nerve VII. I wonder if a spot on the motor homunculus maps to this muscle, or if there's another routing.

Is voluntary control of this muscle common or rare?

I'm curious about this because I've always been able to flex this muscle, and I'm wondering what nerve wiring makes it possible, or prevents it from working in some people.

As the ability or lack of it has no health consequences, I don't think my question is asking for medical advice.
Has anyone tried to record the noise generated by this?
 
Has anyone tried to record the noise generated by this?

I'm not sure they have, but great question! It would be good to know the characteristics, particularly if there were consistent differences between the sounds produced by tensor tympani, or tensor veli palatini, stapedius myoclonus, for diagnostic purposes in patients with palatal or stapedius myoclonus.
 
i can voluntarily move my middle ear muscles, without using my hands to plug my nose it's been causing me hearing damage because I keep them "plugged" as I like to call it whenever there is any noise because all of the noise gives me headaches. do you guys think there is another way to hear less without hurting my ears?
 
I'm reading a lecture on the ear today for neuroscience class, and I noticed that the tensor tympani is connected to the eardrum. Wiki claims that a small number of people have voluntary control of this muscle. The people who can voluntarily contract it will experience a rumbling sound.

It evidently uses cranial nerve V, while the stapedius muscle right next to it uses cranial nerve VII. I wonder if a spot on the motor homunculus maps to this muscle, or if there's another routing.

Is voluntary control of this muscle common or rare?

I'm curious about this because I've always been able to flex this muscle, and I'm wondering what nerve wiring makes it possible, or prevents it from working in some people.

As the ability or lack of it has no health consequences, I don't think my question is asking for medical advice.
To anyone who is wondering what this sounds like, they can experience it by Googling "hear silent GIF". I came across this article and realized this was the same response as controlling the tensor tympani.

Fully contracting the tensor tympani is more intense but this GIF gives you a good idea.

Hope this helps!
 
Not a doc here but Ive always been able to do this tensor tympani thing. As an example, I do this/ sustain the tension when I want to not hear something, essentially covering my ears without hands. However, I can't sustain for more then a vontinuous minute. I also do a repeated "tense -release-tense-release" which causes me to become sleepy.

...Ill read the above comments to see the science related to this, hopefully someone has already explained it.
 
Im not a student either but a 26 year old fence builder. Ive always as long as i can remember conscious thought train been able to do this. Just like others who have posted on this article it also allows me to go underwater and have full range of movement without water getting into my nasal cavity and affecting my breathing. I did break my nose as a kid and it was never correctly reset, I ponder whether or not that could have affected the use of this muscle and my underwater capabilities. Apart from everyone else the noise i hear is not a rumble, its more of a pulsing wave noise kind of like when you put your head to a shell. I also suffer from tinitus from working around loud machinery without proper ear protection. And when i flex these muscles i can make the high pitch ghost noises on purpose. Im not complaining that i have this mutation its just good to know im not the only person afflicted and found away to talk about it without sounding bat**** crazy haha
 
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