The effect of forskolin (FSK) on cochlear sound-evoked potentials was examined in the guinea pig. The perfusion of the scala vestibuli (SV) with FSK (2 x 10(-4) M) produced a significant increase in the amplitude of negative summating potential (- SP) with no change in cochlear microphonics (CM) amplitude, and a significant decrease in the amplitude of compound action potential (CAP) with a significant prolongation of N1 latency and a 20 dB CAP threshold elevation. The results lead us to speculate that FSK-induced changes may be involved in the transient formation of endolymphatic hydrops.