| Sumario: | The true power of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) continues to be explored. OAE spectral characteristics are typically studied in research and applied in the clinic. However, OAE temporal aspects are relatively underexplored. Not using temporal features is similar to ignoring nearly half of the information that OAEs provide. Besides providing information related to the generation of OAEs and cochlear mechanics, the temporal characteristics have important clinical implications, such as for assessing frequency selectivity, characterizing the strength of the efferent auditory system. This review provides a general synopsis of the fundamental principles of OAE delay and latency and discusses some of the relevant applications in probing the strength of the efferent neural pathway and frequency selectivity. It is expected that the reader will gain an overview of the implications of the latency or phase behavior of OAEs.
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