Phase-locked response to low-frequency tones in single auditory nerve fibers of the squirrel monkey

Stochastic resonance in neuron models: endogenous stimulation revisited

The paradigm of stochastic resonance (SR)-the idea that signal detection and transmission may benefit from noise-has met with great interest in both physics and the neurosciences. We investigate here the consequences of reducing the dynamics of a periodically driven neuron to a renewal process (stimulation with reset or endogenous stimulation). This greatly simplifies the mathematical analysis, but we show that stochastic resonance as reported earlier occurs in this model only as a consequence of the reduced dynamics.

Computer-simulation studies on roles of potassium currents in neurotransmission of the auditory nerve

Our previous work showed that action potentials (APs) fired in spiral ganglion (SG) neurons broaden gradually as a result of cumulative inactivation of the potassium current (I(K)), or with the application of a tinnitus-inducing drug (quinine). These results led us to speculate that AP width could affect neurotransmission of the auditory nerve under both normal and pathological conditions. This study used both experimental and theoretical approaches to test this hypothesis. We first measured the effect of AP broadening on Ca2+ entry into SG neurons. The effect of pre-synaptic AP broadening on post-synaptic responses was then assessed using computer-simulations. Results showed that wider presynaptic APs augmented responses of all types of postsynaptic glutamatergic receptors mainly by amplifying responses of postsynaptic receptors whose locations were not well aligned with the presynaptic release sites. A cumulative inactivation of I(K) in SG neurons significantly enhanced the responses of kainate receptors at all spike rates, while the augmentations for the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptors were most prominent below 100 spikes/s. These modeling results suggest that, in addition to the AP firing rate and timing, the width of APs could affect the neurotransmission of the auditory nerve under both normal and pathological conditions.

Sound localization in a new-world frugivorous bat, Artibeus jamaicensis: acuity, use of binaural cues, and relationship to vision

Passive sound-localization acuity and its relationship to vision were determined for the echolocating Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis). A conditioned avoidance procedure was used in which the animals drank fruit juice from a spout in the presence of sounds from their right, but suppressed their behavior, breaking contact with the spout, whenever a sound came from their left, thereby avoiding a mild shock. The mean minimum audible angle for three bats for a 100-ms noise burst was 10 degrees-marginally superior to the 11.6 degrees threshold for Egyptian fruit bats and the 14 degrees threshold for big brown bats. Jamaican fruit bats were also able to localize both low- and high-frequency pure tones, indicating that they can use both binaural phase- and intensity-difference cues to locus. Indeed, their ability to use the binaural phase cue extends up to 6.3 kHz, the highest frequency so far for a mammal. The width of their field of best vision, defined anatomically as the width of the retinal area containing ganglion-cell densities at least 75% of maximum, is 34 degrees. This value is consistent with the previously established relationship between vision and hearing indicating that, even in echolocating bats, the primary function of passive sound localization is to direct the eyes to sound sources.

The evolution of temporal processing in the medial superior olive, an auditory brainstem structure

A basic concept in neuroscience is to correlate specific functions with specific neuronal structures. By discussing a specific example, an alternative concept is proposed: structures may be linked to rules of processing and these rules may serve different functions in different species or at different stages of evolution. The medial superior olive (MSO), a mammalian auditory brainstem structure, has been thought to solely process interaural time differences (ITD), the main cue for localizing low frequency sounds. Recent findings, however, indicate that this is not its only function since mammals that do not hear low frequencies and do not use ITDs for sound localization also possess a MSO. Recordings from the bat MSO indicate that it processes temporal cues in the milli- and submillisecond range, based on monaural or binaural inputs. In bats, and most likely in other small mammals, this temporal processing is related to pattern recognition and echo suppression rather than sound localization. However, the underlying mechanism, coincidence detection of several inputs, creates an epiphenomenal ITD sensitivity that is of no use for small mammals like bats or ancestral mammals. Such an epiphenomenal ITD sensitivity would have been a pre-adaptation which, when mammals grew larger during evolution and when localization of low frequency sounds became a question of survival, suddenly gained relevance. This way the MSO became involved in a new function without changing its basic rules of processing.

Medial efferent effects on auditory-nerve responses to tail-frequency tones II: alteration of phase

It is often assumed that at frequencies in the tuning-curve tail there is a passive, constant coupling of basilar-membrane motion to inner hair cell (IHC) stereocilia. This paper shows changes in the phase of auditory-nerve-fiber (ANF) responses to tail-frequency tones and calls into question whether basilar-membrane-to-IHC coupling is constant. In cat ANFs with characteristic frequencies > or = 10 kHz, efferent effects on the phase of ANF responses to tail-frequency tones were measured. Efferent stimulation caused substantial changes in ANF phase (deltaphi) (range -80 degrees to +60 degrees, average -15 degrees, a phase lag) with the largest changes at sound levels near threshold and 3-4 octaves below characteristic frequency (CF). At these tail frequencies, efferent stimulation had much less effect on the phase of the cochlear microphonic (CM) than on ANF phase. Thus, since CM is synchronous with basilar-membrane motion for low-frequency stimuli in the cochlear base, the efferent-induced change in ANF phase is unlikely to be due entirely to a change in basilar-membrane phase. At tail frequencies, ANF phase changed with sound level (often by 90 degrees-180 degrees) and the deltaphi from a fiber was positively correlated with the slope of its phase-versus-sound-level function at the same frequency, as if deltaphi were caused by a 2-4 dB increase in sound level. This correlation suggests that the processes that produce the change in ANF phase with sound level at tail frequencies are also involved in producing deltaphi. It is hypothesized that both efferent stimulation and increases in sound level produce similar phase changes because they both produce a similar mix of cochlear vibrational modes.

Low-frequency acoustic modulations generated by the high-frequency portion of the cochlea, noninvasively recorded from the scalp of mice (Mus musculus)

Vocalizations often contain low-frequency modulations of the envelope of a high-frequency sound. The high-frequency portion of the cochlear nerve of mice (Mus musculus) generates a robust phase-locked response to these low-frequency modulations, and it can be easily recorded from the surface of the scalp. The cochlea is most sensitive to envelope modulation frequencies of approximately 500 to 2000 Hz. These responses have detection thresholds that are approximately 10 dB more sensitive than auditory brainstem responses, and they are very sharply tuned. These measurements may provide a nontraumatic means of repeatedly assessing cochlear functions involved in sound localization and perception of vocalizations.

A possible neurophysiological basis of the octave enlargement effect

Although the physical octave is defined as a simple ratio of 2:1, listeners prefer slightly greater octave ratios. Ohgushi [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 73, 1694-1700 (1983)] suggested that a temporal model for octave matching would predict this octave enlargement effect because, in response to pure tones, auditory-nerve interspike intervals are slightly larger than the stimulus period. In an effort to test Ohgushi's hypothesis, auditory-nerve single-unit responses to pure-tone stimuli were collected from Dial-anesthetized cats. It was found that although interspike interval distributions show clear phase-locking to the stimulus, intervals systematically deviate from integer multiples of the stimulus period. Due to refractory effects, intervals smaller than 5 msec are slightly larger than the stimulus period and deviate most for small intervals. On the other hand, first-order intervals are smaller than the stimulus period for stimulus frequencies less than 500 Hz. It is shown that this deviation is the combined effect of phase-locking and multiple spikes within one stimulus period. A model for octave matching was implemented which compares frequency estimates of two tones based on their interspike interval distributions. The model quantitatively predicts the octave enlargement effect. These results are consistent with the idea that musical pitch is derived from auditory-nerve interspike interval distributions.

Review of the roles of temporal and place coding of frequency in speech discrimination

Numerous studies have demonstrated that the frequency spectrum of sounds is represented in the neural code of single auditory nerve fibres both spatially and temporally, but few experiments have been designed to test which of these two representations of frequency is used in the discrimination of complex sounds such as speech and music. This paper reviews the roles of place and temporal coding of frequency in the nervous system as a basis for frequency discrimination of complex sounds such as those in speech. Animal studies based on frequency analysis in the cochlea have shown that the place code changes systematically as a function of sound intensity and therefore lacks the robustness required to explain pitch perception (in humans), which is nearly independent of sound intensity. Further indication that the place principle plays a minor role in discrimination of speech comes from observations that signs of impairment of the spectral analysis in the cochlea in some individuals are not associated with impairments in speech discrimination. The importance of temporal coding is supported by the observation that injuries to the auditory nerve, assumed to impair temporal coherence of the discharges of auditory nerve fibres, are associated with grave impairments in speech discrimination. These observations indicate that temporal coding of sounds is more important for discrimination of speech than place coding. The implications of these findings for the design of prostheses such as cochlear implants are discussed.

Markov analysis of stochastic resonance in a periodically driven integrate-and-fire neuron

We model the dynamics of the leaky integrate-and-fire neuron under periodic stimulation as a Markov process with respect to the stimulus phase. This avoids the unrealistic assumption of a stimulus reset after each spike made in earlier papers and thus solves the long-standing reset problem. The neuron exhibits stochastic resonance, both with respect to input noise intensity and stimulus frequency. The latter resonance arises by matching the stimulus frequency to the refractory time of the neuron. The Markov approach can be generalized to other periodically driven stochastic processes containing a reset mechanism.

Role of intrinsic conductances underlying responses to transients in octopus cells of the cochlear nucleus

Recognition of acoustic patterns in natural sounds depends on the transmission of temporal information. Octopus cells of the mammalian ventral cochlear nucleus form a pathway that encodes the timing of firing of groups of auditory nerve fibers with exceptional precision. Whole-cell patch recordings from octopus cells were used to examine how the brevity and precision of firing are shaped by intrinsic conductances. Octopus cells responded to steps of current with small, rapid voltage changes. Input resistances and membrane time constants averaged 2.4 MOmega and 210 microseconds, respectively (n = 15). As a result of the low input resistances of octopus cells, action potential initiation required currents of at least 2 nA for their generation and never occurred repetitively. Backpropagated action potentials recorded at the soma were small (10-30 mV), brief (0.24-0.54 msec), and tetrodotoxin-sensitive. The low input resistance arose in part from an inwardly rectifying mixed cationic conductance blocked by cesium and potassium conductances blocked by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP). Conductances blocked by 4-AP also contributed to the repolarization of the action potentials and suppressed the generation of calcium spikes. In the face of the high membrane conductance of octopus cells, sodium and calcium conductances amplified depolarizations produced by intracellular current injection over a time course similar to that of EPSPs. We suggest that this transient amplification works in concert with the shunting influence of potassium and mixed cationic conductances to enhance the encoding of the onset of synchronous auditory nerve fiber activity.

Psychometric functions for discrimination of two-component complex tones in listeners with normal hearing and listeners with hearing loss

This study compared the ability of 5 listeners with normal hearing and 12 listeners with moderate to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss to discriminate complementary two-component complex tones (TCCTs). The TCCTs consist of two pure tone components (f1 and f2) which differ in frequency by delta f (Hz) and in level by delta L (dB). In one of the complementary tones, the level of the component f1 is greater than the level of component f2 by the increment delta L; in the other tone, the level of component f2 exceeds that of component f1 by delta L. Five stimulus conditions were included in this study: fc = 1000 Hz, delta L = 3 dB; fc = 1000 Hz, delta L = 1 dB; fc = 2000 Hz, delta L = 3 dB; fc = 2000 Hz, delta L = 1 dB; and fc = 4000 Hz, delta L = 3 dB. In listeners with normal hearing, discrimination of complementary TCCTs (with a fixed delta L and a variable delta f) is described by an inverted U-shaped psychometric function in which discrimination improves as delta f increases, is (nearly) perfect for a range of delta f's, and then decreases again as delta f increases. In contrast, group psychometric functions for listeners with hearing loss are shifted to the right such that above chance performance occurs at larger values of delta f than in listeners with normal hearing. Group psychometric functions for listeners with hearing loss do not show a decrease in performance at the largest values of delta f included in this study. Decreased TCCT discrimination is evident when listeners with hearing loss are compared to listeners with normal hearing at both equal SPLs and at equal sensation levels. In both groups of listeners, TCCT discrimination is significantly worse at high center frequencies. Results from normal-hearing listeners are generally consistent with a temporal model of TCCT discrimination. Listeners with hearing loss may have deficits in using phase locking in the TCCT discrimination task and so may rely more on place cues in TCCT discrimination.

THE ROLE OF TIMING IN THE BRAIN STEM AUDITORY NUCLEI OF VERTEBRATES

Vertebrate animals gain biologically important information from environmental sounds. Localization of sound sources enables animals to detect and respond appropriately to danger, and it allows predators to detect and localize prey. In many species, rapidly fluctuating sounds are also the basis of communication between conspecifics. This information is not provided directly by the output of the ear but requires processing of the temporal pattern of firing in the tonotopic array of auditory nerve fibers. The auditory nerve feeds information through several parallel ascending pathways. Anatomical and electrophysiological specializations for conveying precise timing, including calyceal synaptic terminals and matching axonal conduction times, are evident in several of the major ascending auditory pathways through the ventral cochlear nucleus and its nonmammalian homologues. One pathway that is shared by all higher vertebrates makes an ongoing comparison of interaural phase for the localization of sound in the azimuth. Another pathway is specifically associated with higher frequency hearing in mammals and is thought to make use of interaural intensity differences for localizing high-frequency sounds. Balancing excitation from one ear with inhibition from the other in rapidly fluctuating signals requires that the timing of these synaptic inputs be matched and constant for widely varying sound stimuli in this pathway. The monaural nuclei of the lateral lemniscus, whose roles are not understood (although they are ubiquitous in higher vertebrates), receive input from multiple pathways that encode timing with precision, some through calyceal endings.

Temporal factors associated with cochlear nerve tuning to dual and single tones: a qualitative study

The simultaneous presentation of a 10- and 10.86-kHz tone produces an 860-Hz cochlear nerve difference tone (DT) response in the gerbil which persists for the duration of the stimulus. Forward masking shows this response is generated by neurons sharply tuned to the stimulus frequencies. When compared with the DT response, the cochlear nerve compound action potential (CAP) to a single tone is smaller in amplitude, has a higher nonmasked threshold, and produces a less sensitive tuning curve (TC). Forward maskers can also produce amplitude enhancement of the CAP, but this was not observed for the onset portion of the DT response. The CAP TC is as sharply tuned as the TC of either the DT onset response or the entire DT response. A comparison was made of tuning of the DT response to the onset, the first half and second half of the 23-ms duration probe stimulus, using either a 5- or 15-ms masker-probe interval. An increase of the tip threshold of the TC to all three portions of the stimulus occurred as the interval was increased between the end of the masker and the midpoint of the portion of the stimulus under question. The 15-ms masker-probe interval produced sharper TCs.

Analysis of temporal structure in sound by the human brain

For over a century, models of pitch perception have been based on the frequency composition of the sound. Pitch phenomena can also be explained, however, in terms of the time structure, or temporal regularity, of sounds. To locate the mechanism for the detection of temporal regularity in humans, we used functional imaging and a 'delay-and-add' noise, which activates all frequency regions uniformly, like noise, but which nevertheless produces strong pitch perceptions and tuneful melodies. This stimulus has temporal regularity that can be systematically altered. We found that the activity of primary auditory cortex increased with the regularity of the sound. Moreover, a melody composed of delay-and-add 'notes' produced a distinct pattern of activation in two areas of the temporal lobe distinct from primary auditory cortex. These results suggest a hierarchical analysis of time structure in the human brain.

The auditory evoked potential difference tone and cubic difference tone measured from the inferior colliculus of the chinchilla

The auditory evoked potential f2-f1 difference tone (DT) and the 2 f1-f2 cubic difference tone (CDT) were recorded from electrodes implanted in the inferior colliculus in a group of chinchillas. The purpose of this study was to measure normative aspects of AEP distortion products in awake chinchillas, by comparing the DT and CDT under a variety of stimulus conditions. For experiment 1, f1 was held constant at 1998 Hz, while the f2/f1 ratio was varied from 1.05 to 1.50. Input-output functions were measured over a range of primary tone levels up to 80 dB SPL. The amplitude of the DT was greatest for the smallest f2/f1 ratio, and decreased systematically as f2/f1 ratio increased. DT amplitude was greater than CDT amplitude for all primary tone pairs. Experiment 2 was conducted to determine the effect of f1 frequency upon the DT and CDT for a constant f1-f2 difference frequency of 102 Hz (f1-999, 1998, 4999, and 9998 Hz). The DT input-output functions were overlapping for all f1 frequencies. For the CDT, amplitude decreased with increasing f1 frequency, which corresponded to an increase in CDT frequency. In experiment 3, the relationship between ear of stimulation and inferior colliculus recorded from was investigated. DT input-output functions (f1 = 1998 Hz, DT = 102 Hz) were measured for monaural contralateral, monaural ipsilateral, and dichotic stimulus conditions. DT amplitude was largest for the contralateral condition, followed by the ipsilateral condition. A smaller, dichotic component to the DT was observed as well.

Convergent input from brainstem coincidence detectors onto delay-sensitive neurons in the inferior colliculus

Responses of low-frequency neurons in the inferior colliculus (IC) of anesthetized guinea pigs were studied with binaural beats to assess their mean best interaural phase (BP) to a range of stimulating frequencies. Phase plots (stimulating frequency vs BP) were produced, from which measures of characteristic delay (CD) and characteristic phase (CP) for each neuron were obtained. The CD provides an estimate of the difference in travel time from each ear to coincidence-detector neurons in the brainstem. The CP indicates the mechanism underpinning the coincidence detector responses. A linear phase plot indicates a single, constant delay between the coincidence-detector inputs from the two ears. In more than half (54 of 90) of the neurons, the phase plot was not linear. We hypothesized that neurons with nonlinear phase plots received convergent input from brainstem coincidence detectors with different CDs. Presentation of a second tone with a fixed, unfavorable delay suppressed the response of one input, linearizing the phase plot and revealing other inputs to be relatively simple coincidence detectors. For some neurons with highly complex phase plots, the suppressor tone altered BP values, but did not resolve the nature of the inputs. For neurons with linear phase plots, the suppressor tone either completely abolished their responses or reduced their discharge rate with no change in BP. By selectively suppressing inputs with a second tone, we are able to reveal the nature of underlying binaural inputs to IC neurons, confirming the hypothesis that the complex phase plots of many IC neurons are a result of convergence from simple brainstem coincidence detectors.

Responses of auditory nerve fibers to trains of clicks

Responses of auditory nerve fibers to trains of clicks were recorded in ketamine anesthetized chinchillas. By varying the number of clicks and the interclick interval, this study examined whether "post-onset adaptation," described in psychoacoustic experiments on localization, occurred in auditory nerve fibers. The results showed that the number of action potentials recorded from a nerve fiber in response to a train of clicks was a power function of the number of clicks. For interclick intervals of 2 ms or greater the exponent of the power function was 0.5, and this exponent did not change over a 20-dB range of intensities. The timing of action potentials relative to the click stimuli was measured using synchronization coefficients. The coefficients increased with interclick interval, decreased with increasing intensity, and were greater for fibers with low rates of spontaneous activity than for high spontaneous fibers. Recovery functions showed that for interclick intervals of 2 ms or more, the responses to the second click were at least 70% of the response to the initial click. The recovery depended upon the number of clicks in the train. These findings indicate that auditory nerve fibers respond to high rates of stimulus presentation and do not display the adaptation observed in localization studies.

Neural encoding of single-formant stimuli in the ventral cochlear nucleus of the chinchilla

Responses of the principal unit types in the ventral cochlear nucleus of the chinchilla were studied with a single-formant stimulus set that covered fundamental frequency (f0) from 100 Hz to 200 Hz and formant center frequency (F1) from 256 to 782 Hz. Temporal coding for f0 and F1 was explored for 95 stimulus combinations of f0 (n = 5) and F1 (n = 19) in primarylike, onset and chopper unit categories. Several analyses that explored temporal coding were employed including: autocorrelation, interspike interval analysis, and synchronization to each harmonic of f0. In general, the representation of f0 is better in onset and chopper units than in primarylike units. Nearly all units in the cochlear nucleus showed a gain in phase locking to the envelope (f0) of the single-formant stimulus relative to the auditory nerve. The fundamental is represented directly in neural discharges of units in the cochlear nucleus with an interval code (also Cariani and Delgutte, 1996; Rhode, 1995). The formant is represented in the temporal domain in primarylike units, though some chopper and onset units also possess the ability to code F1 through discharge synchrony. Onset-I units, which are associated with the octopus cells, exhibited the strongest phase locking to f0 of any unit types studied. The representation of f0 and F1 in the temporal domain is weak or absent in some units. All-order-interspike interval distributions computed for populations of units show preservation of temporal coding for both f0 and F1. Results are in agreement with earlier amplitude modulation studies that showed nearly all cochlear nucleus unit types phase lock to the signal envelope better than auditory nerve fibers over a considerable range of signal amplitudes.

Modulation detection by normal and hearing-impaired listeners

In five normally hearing subjects and seven subjects with damaged cochleas, detection thresholds for sinusoidal frequency modulation (FM) and amplitude modulation (AM) were measured using 1 s stimuli with a 500 Hz carrier frequency (Fc) at a 'comfortable' loudness (given by subject-dependent SPLs and SLs). The modulation frequency (Fmod) was 2 Hz or 10 Hz. FM (but not AM) detection was poorer in the hearing-impaired group, especially when the hearing loss at Fc exceeded 50 dB. Fmod had a different effect on FM and AM detection. The corresponding interaction was essentially identical for the two groups of subjects. Previous studies strongly suggested that normal listeners use mainly neural phase-locking cues for the detection of FM when Fmod = 2 Hz, but mainly tonotopic cues when Fmod = 10 Hz. The present results suggest that cochlear damages reduce the usefulness of these two types of cues to an approximately equal degree.

Cancellation model of pitch perception

A model of pitch perception is presented involving an array of delay lines and inhibitory gating neurons. In response to a periodic sound, a minimum appears in the pattern of outputs of the inhibitory neurons at a lag equal to the period of the sound. The position of this minimum is the cue to pitch. The model is similar to the autocorrelation model of pitch, multiplication being replaced by an operation similar to subtraction, and maxima by minima. The two models account for a wide class of pitch phenomena in very much the same way. The principal goal of this paper is to demonstrate this fact. Several features of the cancellation model may be to its advantage: it is closely related to the operation of harmonic cancellation that can account for segregation of concurrent harmonic stimuli, it can be generalized to explain the perception of multiple pitches, and it shows a greater degree of sensitivity to phase than autocorrelation, which may allow it to explain certain phenomena that autocorrelation cannot account for.

Firing properties of spherical bushy cells in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus of the gerbil

In gerbils, spherical bushy cells (SBCs) encode low frequency sound signals into a temporal firing pattern. To investigate the support for the timing in this temporal code, we characterized the membrane electrical properties of visually identified SBCs in brainstem slices. A brief depolarizing subthreshold transient potential (TP) triggered, with relatively invariant latency, a single spike at the onset of a response to depolarizing current pulses. The activation of a subthreshold Na+-conductance, sensitive to blockade with tetrodotoxin, and a high threshold Ca2+-conductance, sensitive to blockade with Co2+ or Cd2+, accelerated the rising phase and amplified the TP. A K+-conductance, sensitive to blockade by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP, 50 microM), shaped the decay of the TP. Following a single spike, voltage-gated activation of transient and sustained K+-conductances suppressed any tendency to repetitively discharge. A reduction in either K+-conductance due to application of 4-AP or tetraethylammonium (TEA, 10 mM), converted the single spike mode to repetitive firing during the depolarizing pulses. A persistent, tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na+-conductance amplified steady-state depolarizing responses. A hyperpolarization-activated conductance, greatly decreased by extracellular Cs+ (3 mM) but resistant to Ba2+ (up to 1 mM), filtered the responses to hyperpolarizing current inputs. A depolarized membrane potential promoted repetitive firing in SBCs. This state, expected in pathophysiological conditions, would corrupt the temporal code.

Endogenous buffers limit the spread of free calcium in hair cells

Mobile Ca2+ buffers in hair cells have been postulated to play a dual role. On one hand, they carry incoming Ca2+ away from synaptic areas, allowing synapses to be rapidly reset. On the other hand, they limit the spread of free Ca2+ into the cell, preventing cross-talk between different pathways that employ Ca2+ as a second messenger. We have obtained evidence for such mobile Ca2+ buffers in hair cells by comparing the patterns of Ca2+-induced fluo-3 fluorescence under whole-cell and perforated-patch recording conditions. Fluorescent signals under perforated-patch conditions are relatively weak and are limited to the immediate vicinity of the membrane. These observations can be explained by a diffusion-reaction scheme that, in addition to Ca2+ and fluo-3, incorporates endogenous fixed and mobile Ca2+ buffers. Our experiments also suggest that the mobility of the endogenous buffer might be higher than previously thought. A high buffer mobility is expected to enhance the cell's ability to rapidly modulate transmitter release.

Cochlear mechanisms of frequency and intensity coding. I. The place code for pitch

In the past, several researchers have reported a substantial shift in the peak of the tone-evoked excitation pattern toward the base of the cochlea following an increase in the SPL of the stimulating tone. Evidence for such peak shifts has been found in the responses of auditory nerve fibers, cochlear microphonics, and the responses of outer hair cells and supporting cells in the cochlea, as well as in basilar membrane vibration measurements, and indirectly, in psychophysical data. However, direct evidence for such a peak shift in inner hair cell (IHC) responses has been relatively sparse. If the peak shift is preserved in the information conveyed to the auditory nerve fibers by the IHCs, the classical 'place theory' for frequency coding in the cochlea requires modification. In this study, the nature and extent of the SPL-dependent peak shift is examined with the help of recordings in the IHCs and other cells of the organ of Corti in the 0.5-2.5 kHz region of the Mongolian gerbil cochlea. It is demonstrated that the peak shift is a universal phenomenon in the diverse cell types in this region of the cochlea. Most importantly, a large SPL-dependent peak shift is demonstrated in IHC responses. On the other hand, the recordings indicate that the apical cutoff of the spatial excitation pattern is SPL-independent. We conclude, therefore, that the place theory of pitch perception must be abandoned or at least modified.

Mechanisms of onset responses in octopus cells of the cochlear nucleus: implications of a model

The octopus cells of the posteroventral cochlear nucleus receive inputs from auditory-nerve fibers and form one of the major ascending auditory pathways. They respond to acoustic and electrical stimulation transiently and are believed to carry temporal information in the precise timing of their action potentials. The mechanism whereby onset responses are generated is not clear. Proposals aimed at elucidating the mechanism range from neural circuitry and/or inhibition, "depolarization block" (or inactivation of Na+ channels), and the involvement of a 4-aminopyridine (4-AP)-sensitive, low-threshold channel (K(LT)). In the present study, we used a compartment model to investigate possible mechanisms. The model cell contains a soma, an axon, and four passive dendrites. Four kinds of ionic channels were included in the soma compartment: the Hodgkin-Huxley-like Na+ and K+ channels, a 4-AP-sensitive, low-threshold channel, K(LT), and a Cs+-sensitive, hyperpolarization-activated inward rectifier, Ih. DC currents and half-wave-rectified sine waves were used as stimuli. Our results showed that an onset response can be generated in the absence of neuronal circuitry of any form, thus suggesting that the onset response in octopus cells is regulated intrinsically. Among the many factors involved, low-input impedance, partly contributed by Ih, appears to be essential to the basic onset response pattern; also, the K(LT) conductance plays a major role, whereas the inactivation of Na+ channels probably plays only a secondary role. The dynamics of Ih also can modify the response pattern, but due to its slow kinetics, its role is probably limited to longer-term regulation under the conditions simulated in this study.

Short-term temporal integration: evidence for the influence of peripheral compression

Thresholds for a 6.5-kHz sinusoidal signal, temporally centered in a 400-ms broadband-noise masker, were measured as a function of signal duration for normally hearing listeners and listeners with cochlear hearing loss over a range of masker levels. For the normally hearing listeners, the slope of the function relating signal threshold to signal duration (integration function) was steeper at medium masker levels than at low or high levels by a factor of nearly 2, for signal durations between 2 and 10 ms, while no significant effect of level was found for signal durations of 20 ms and more. No effect of stimulus level was found for the hearing-impaired listeners at any signal duration. For signal durations greater than 10 ms, consistent with many previous studies, the slope of the integration function was shallower for the hearing-impaired listeners than for the normally hearing listeners. However, for shorter durations, there was no significant difference in slope between the results from the hearing-impaired listeners and those from the normally hearing listeners in the high- and low-level masker conditions. A model incorporating a compressive nonlinearity, representing the effect of basilar-membrane (BM) compression, and a short-term temporal integrator, postulated to be a more central process, can account well for changes in the short-term integration function with level, if it is assumed that the compression is greater at medium levels than at low or high levels by a factor of about 4. This is in reasonable agreement with physiological measurements of BM compression, and with previous psychophysical estimates.

Responses of neurons in the inferior colliculus to binaural masking level difference stimuli measured by rate-versus-level functions

The psychophysical detection threshold of a low-frequency tone masked by broadband noise is reduced by < or = 15 dB by inversion of the tone in one ear (called the binaural masking level difference: BMLD). The contribution of 120 low-frequency neurons (best frequencies 168-2,090 Hz) in the inferior colliculus (ICC) of the guinea pig to binaural unmasking of 500-Hz tones masked by broadband noise was examined. We measured rate-level functions of the responses to identical signals (So) and noise (No) at the two ears (NoSo) and to identical noise but with the signal inverted at one ear (NoS pi): the noise was 7-15 dB suprathreshold. The masked threshold was estimated by the standard separation, "D". The neural BMLD was estimated as the difference between the masked thresholds for NoSo and NoS pi. The presence of So and S pi tones was indicated by discharge rate increases in 55.3% of neurons. In 36.4% of neurons, the presence of So tones was indicated by an increase in discharge rate and S pi tones by a decrease. In 6.8% of neurons, both So and S pi tones caused a decrease in discharge rate. In only 1.5% of neurons was So indicated by a decrease and S pi by an increase in discharge rate. Responses to the binaural configurations were consistent with the neuron's interaural delay sensitivities; 34.4% of neurons showing increases in discharge rate to both So and S pi tones gave positive BMLDs > or = 3 dB (S pi tones were detected at lower levels than So), whereas 37.3% gave negative BMLDs > or = 3 dB. For neurons in which So signals caused an increase in the discharge rate and S pi a decrease, 72.7% gave positive BMLDs > or = 3 dB and only 4.5% gave negative BMLDs > or = 3 dB. The results suggest that the responses of single ICC neurons are consistent with the psychophysical BMLDs for NoSo versus NoS pi at 500 Hz, and with current binaural interaction models based on coincidence detection. The neurons likely to contribute to the psychophysical BMLD are those with BFs near 500 Hz, but detection of So and S pi tones may depend on different populations of neurons.

EABRs and surface potentials with a transcutaneous multielectrode cochlear implant

In a previous study, the authors described a technique for recording ipsilateral EABRs using the DIGISONIC MXM cochlear implant (Gallégo et al, Acta Otolaryngol (Stockh) 1996; 116: 228-33) and showed that the EABR input/output functions were very similar across electrodes. In the present study a test of electrode functioning based on the recording of surface potentials is presented. Then, for each electrode the relationship between EABR thresholds and hearing thresholds was determined. Lastly, the relationship between EABR parameters and patients' performances was studied. The results show that the functioning of each implanted electrode can be assessed quickly, accurately and objectively. Furthermore it is demonstrated that a strong correlation between EABR and hearing threshold can be obtained using an automatic EABR wave detection technique. Finally it is shown that EABR inter-peak intervals are related to patient performance. These results are of the utmost importance for cochlear implant setting in children as they indicate a method of objective assessment of the functioning of each electrode and of the corresponding hearing threshold.

Pitch related to spectral edges of broadband signals

A complex tone often evokes a pitch sensation associated with its extreme spectral components, besides the holistic pitch associated with its fundamental frequency. We studied the edge pitch created at the upper spectral edge of complexes with a low-pass spectrum by asking subjects to adjust the frequency of a sinusoidal comparison tone to the perceived pitch. Measurements were performed for different values of the fundamental frequency and of the upper frequency of the complex as well as for three different phase relations of the harmonic components. For a wide range of these parameters the subjects could adjust the comparison tone with a high accuracy, measured as the standard deviation of repeated adjustments, to a frequency close to the nominal edge frequency. The detailed dependence of the matching accuracy on temporal parameters of the harmonic complexes suggests that the perception of the edge pitch in harmonic signals is related to the temporal resolution of the hearing system. This resolution depends primarily on the time constants of basilar-membrane filters and on additional limitations due to neuronal processes.

The Mel Scale's disqualifying bias and a consistency of pitch-difference equisections in 1956 with equal cochlear distances and equal frequency ratios

In 1956, Stevens 'commissioned' an experiment to equisect a pitch difference between two tones. Results appear to reveal a methodological flaw that would invalidate the Mel Scale (Stevens and Volkmann, 1940). Stevens sought to distinguish sensory continua, e.g., loudness and pitch, on various criteria. He expected that the pitch continuum would not exhibit 'hysteresis'; i.e., that subjects dividing a pitch difference (delta f) into equal-appearing parts would not set dividing frequencies higher when listening to notes in ascending order than in descending order. Seven subjects equisected a pitch difference, between tones of 400 and 7000 Hz, into equal-seeming parts by adjusting the frequencies of three intermediate tones. All seven exhibited hysteresis, contrary to expectation. This outcome bears on other issues. Years prior, Stevens suggested that equal pitch differences might correspond to equal cochlear distances, but not to equal frequency ratios nor to equal musical intervals (Stevens and Davis, 1938; Stevens and Volkmann, 1940). In 1960 (reported now), both the 1940 Mel Scale and the equal pitch differences of 1956 were compared to equal cochlear distances, using a frequency-position function that fitted Békésy's cochlear map (Greenwood, 1961, 1990). When ascending and descending settings were combined to contra-pose biases, equal pitch differences did coincide with equal distances--which the Mel Scale did not. Further, the biased ascending-order data coincided with the Mel Scale, suggesting the Mel Scale was similarly biased. Thus, the combined-order equal pitch differences of 1956--but not the Mel Scale--are consistent with equal cochlear distances. However, since the map between 400 and 7000 Hz is nearly logarithmic, equal frequency ratios also approximate equal distances. Ironically, above 400 Hz, Békésy's map and Stevens' equal-distance hypothesis jointly imply that musical intervals will nearly agree with equal pitch differences, which Stevens thought he had disconfirmed. However, given Békésy's map, only near the cochlear apex will equal distances not approximate equal frequency ratios; and Pratt's (Pratt, 1928) bisections of delta fs greater than an octave indicated that equal pitch differences, on average, did agree with equal distances. However, they did so for only two of four subjects and coincided instead with equal frequency ratios for one musical subject. Historical distinctions suggest that between the parts of equisected delta fs subjective equivalence may be of two kinds--one linked to musical intervals, leading to equal frequency ratios; a second linked to 'tone-height' and 'distance', leading to deviations from equal frequency ratios near the apex, though not appreciably if equisected delta fs are less than an octave (or if perhaps subjects are musicians). Data of other kinds suggest that, if pure-tone pitch height were a function of place, the place could be the apical excitation-pattern edge, in any case not a maximum, which in neural data shifts and disappears with tone level.

Optimal head related transfer functions for hearing and monaural localization in elevation: a signal processing design perspective

Localization of sound sources by human listeners has been widely studied and theories and various models of the localization and hearing mechanism have been constructed. In the classical "duplex" theory, sound localization in azimuth is explained by interaural time or equivalently, phase differences at low frequencies, and by interaural amplitude differences at higher frequencies. Head related transfer functions (HRTF's) present a linear system approach to modeling localization by representing the direction-dependent transformation the sound undergoes at each ear. Localization in elevation is explained by directional differences in the HRTF's, which also explains monaural localization. We conjecture that the HRTF's evolved during the course of nature (due to the evolution of the shape and structure of the ear etc.) are optimal with respect to several physically realizable criteria. In this paper, we investigate the problem of defining the design constraints which when optimized yield a set of HRTF's for hearing and monaural vertical localization in an attempt to better understand, and if possible, duplicate nature's design. We pursue an engineer's design perspective and formulate a constrained optimization problem, where the desired set of HRTF's is optimized according to a cost function based on several criteria for localization, hearing and smoothness, and also by imposing physically realizable constraints on the HRTF's such as nonnegativity, energy etc. The value of the cost function for a candidate set of HRTF's is an indication of the similarity of that set of HRTF's with respect to the ideal solution (measured HRTF data). The final optimization results we present are similar to the actual HRTF's measured in human subjects, and the associated cost function values are found to be almost equal. This points to the fact that the optimization criteria defined are quite relevant. The significant outcome of this research is the identification of a relevant set of mathematical criteria that could be optimized in the human auditory system to facilitate good hearing and localization. These criteria along with the associated constraints represent the desirable characteristics of the HRTF's in an HRTF-based localization system, and could lead to a better understanding and modeling of the auditory system.

Average spectrum of cochlear activity: a possible synchronized firing, its olivo-cochlear feedback and alterations under anesthesia

Average spectrum of electrophysiological cochlear activity (ASECA) recorded from the cochlea or the eighth nerve is related to firing of auditory neurons and has been used recently in search of an objective measure of tinnitus both in animal models and in humans. Little is known about neuro-sensory processes underlying the spectral features of ASECA. The present study used awake and/or anesthetized animals and investigated effects of various sounds presented contralaterally and ipsilaterally. Contralateral stimulation with noise bands at frequencies above about 8 kHz and below acoustic interaural cross-talk decreased the amplitude of the 1 kHz peak of ASECA. When presented ipsilaterally noises produced either an increase or a decrease of this spectral peak when the acoustic bandwidth was respectively above or below 1.5 kHz. Pure tones when presented contralaterally had no detectable effect. When presented ipsilaterally pure tones with frequencies higher than about 4 kHz decreased the 1 kHz peak of ASECA. The detailed time course of sound-induced variations of the 1 kHz peak was measured by time averaging. The resulting response patterns resemble PST histograms of the auditory nerve. Sedation and anesthesia deepened the 500 Hz trough of ASECA and shifted it towards 400 Hz. Sedation induced a diminution and anesthesia an almost complete suppression of the decrease of the 1 kHz peak induced by contralateral noise. Overall these data indicate that ASECA would reflect synchronized firings and they provide evidence for an influence of olivo-cochlear feedback sensitive to the state of awakeness.

Electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve: the coding of frequency, the perception of pitch and the development of cochlear implant speech processing strategies for profoundly deaf people

1. The development of speech processing strategies for multiple-channel cochlear implants has depended on encoding sound frequencies and intensities as temporal and spatial patterns of electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve fibres so that speech information of most importance of intelligibility could be transmitted. 2. Initial physiological studies showed that rate encoding of electrical stimulation above 200 pulses/s could not reproduce the normal response patterns in auditory neurons for acoustic stimulation in the speech frequency range above 200 Hz and suggested that place coding was appropriate for the higher frequencies. 3. Rate difference limens in the experimental animal were only similar to those for sound up to 200 Hz. 4. Rate difference limens in implant patients were similar to those obtained in the experimental animal. 5. Satisfactory rate discrimination could be made for durations of 50 and 100 ms, but not 25 ms. This made rate suitable for encoding longer duration suprasegmental speech information, but not segmental information, such as consonants. The rate of stimulation could also be perceived as pitch, discriminated at different electrode sites along the cochlea and discriminated for stimuli across electrodes. 6. Place pitch could be scaled according to the site of stimulation in the cochlea so that a frequency scale was preserved and it also had a different quality from rate pitch and was described as tonality. Place pitch could also be discriminated for the shorter durations (25 ms) required for identifying consonants. 7. The inaugural speech processing strategy encoded the second formant frequencies (concentrations of frequency energy in the mid frequency range of most importance for speech intelligibility) as place of stimulation, the voicing frequency as rate of stimulation and the intensity as current level. Our further speech processing strategies have extracted additional frequency information and coded this as place of stimulation. The most recent development, however, presents temporal frequency information as amplitude variations at a constant rate of stimulation. 8. As additional speech frequencies have been encoded as place of stimulation, the mean speech perception scores have continued to increase and are now better than the average scores that severely-profoundly deaf adults and children with some residual hearing obtain with a hearing aid.

Noise and neuronal populations conspire to encode simple waveforms reliably

Sensory systems rely on populations of neurons to encode information transduced at the periphery into meaningful patterns of neuronal population activity. This transduction occurs in the presence of intrinsic neuronal noise. This is fortunate. The presence of noise allows more reliable encoding of the temporal structure present in the stimulus than would be possible in a noise-free environment. Simulations with a parallel model of signal processing at the auditory periphery have been used to explore the effects of noise and a neuronal population on the encoding of signal information. The results show that, for a given set of neuronal modeling parameters and stimulus amplitude, there is an optimal amount of noise for stimulus encoding with maximum fidelity.

Auditory nerve neurophonic recorded from the round window of the Mongolian gerbil

In the Mongolian gerbil, round window (RW) recordings of averaged responses to phase-locked acoustic stimuli which are not alternated in polarity can include both the cochlear mirophonic (CM) and auditory nerve neurophonic (ANN). The ANN can dominate the recordings when the RW electrode is referenced to some portion of the body that allows the two electrodes to straddle the auditory nerve. Concentric bipolar RW electrodes are biased in favor of the CM. When there is a substantial ANN component in the RW response, as the sinusoidal stimulus intensity increases there is a non-monotonic increase of amplitude and a pronounced change of phase of the response. When the phase-locked stimuli are alternated in polarity in order to cancel the CM, a residual response is often observed. This residual response has twice the frequency of the stimulus and is decreased in amplitude by forward masking. It also shows a pattern of amplitude decrement following the stimulus onset, resembling adaptation of the firing rate of cochlear nerve axons. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) eliminates the non-monotonic RW amplitude input-output (I/O) function, reduces the phase changes of the response as the stimulus intensity is increased, eliminates the residual non-canceled response to alternated stimuli, and the time-limited amplitude decrements which resemble adaptation. Following application of TTX, the RW response of the gerbil to stimuli with non-alternated polarity much more closely resembles the CM responses of other animals. It is concluded that the gerbil's residual response following cancellation of the CM is the ANN, and that the RW of the gerbil is a convenient site for recording measures of phase-locked cochlear axonal activity.

Intonation of musical intervals by musical intervals by deaf subjects stimulated with single bipolar cochlear implant electrodes

Some subjects with cochlear implants have been shown to associate electrical stimulus pulse rates with the pitches of musical tones. In order to clarify the role of these pitch sensations in a musical context, the present investigation examined the intonation accuracy achieved by implant subjects when adjusting pulse rates in the reconstruction of musical intervals. Using a method of adjustment, the subjects altered a variable pulse rate, relative to a fixed reference rate, on one electrode, in the tuning of musical intervals abstracted from familiar melodies. At low pulse rates, subjects generally tuned the intervals to the same frequency ratios which define tonal musical intervals in normal-hearing listeners, with error margins comparable to musically untrained subjects. Two subjects were, in addition, able to transpose these melodic intervals from a standard reference pulse rate to higher and lower reference rates (reference and target pulse rates with geometric means of the intervals ranging from 81 to 466 pulses/s). Generally, the intervals were adjusted on a ratio scale, according to the same frequency ratios which define analogous acoustical musical intervals. These results support the hypothesis that, at low pulse rates, a temporal code in the auditory nerve alone is capable of defining musical pitch.

Coherence analysis of envelope-following responses (EFRs) and frequency-following responses (FFRs) in infants and adults

The frequency-following response (FFR) and the envelope-following response (EFR) were recorded in 1-month-old infants and in adults to examine the development of temporal coding. The stimuli were amplitude-modulated (AM) tones. A modulation frequency of 80 Hz was used in infants; modulation frequencies of 40 and 80 Hz were used in adults. The effects of intensity, carrier frequency, and modulation frequency on these responses were studied. Responses were analyzed using magnitude-squared coherence. The effect of intensity on the growth of FFR- and EFR-coherence were similar in infants and adults. In addition, the growth functions were not affected by the carrier frequency or the modulation frequency of the stimulus. FFR thresholds did not differ across age groups. 'Best frequency' (i.e., infant 80 Hz and adult 40 Hz) EFR thresholds were the same for infants and adults at 500 and 1000 Hz, but infant EFR thresholds were poorer than adult thresholds at 2000 Hz. Thus, although FFRs and EFRs are primarily adult-like at 1 month of age, there are some age differences in the EFR that deserve further study.

Mechanisms of stochastic phase locking

Periodically driven nonlinear oscillators can exhibit a form of phase locking in which a well-defined feature of the motion occurs near a preferred phase of the stimulus, but a random number of stimulus cycles are skipped between its occurrences. This feature may be an action potential, or another crossing by a state variable of some specific value. This behavior can also occur when no apparent external periodic forcing is present. The phase preference is then measured with respect to a time scale internal to the system. Models of these behaviors are briefly reviewed, and new mechanisms are presented that involve the coupling of noise to the equations of motion. Our study investigates such stochastic phase locking near bifurcations commonly present in models of biological oscillators: (1) a supercritical and (2) a subcritical Hopf bifurcation, and, under autonomous conditions, near (3) a saddle-node bifurcation, and (4) chaotic behavior. Our results complement previous studies of aperiodic phase locking in which noise perturbs deterministic phase-locked motion. In our study however, we emphasize how noise can induce a stochastic phase-locked motion that does not have a similar deterministic counterpart. Although our study focuses on models of excitable and bursting neurons, our results are applicable to other oscillators, such as those discussed in the respiratory and cardiac literatures. (c) 1995 American Institute of Physics.

Processing of modulation frequency in the dorsal cochlear nucleus of the guinea pig: amplitude modulated tones

The modulation frequency (Fm), particularly high Fm (> 200 Hz), in amplitude modulated (AM) tones can elicit the perception of the periodicity pitch (Langner, 1992). In this study, single unit responses to the Fms of the sinusoidal AM tones were investigated at 50 to 90 dB SPL. The recordings were made from the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) of neuroleptic anesthetized guinea pigs with an intact cerebellum. The DCN units show a good capability of phase-locking to Fm at 400-1200 Hz. On-S-type II and Pauser/Buildup (P/B) units have a high modulation gain (7.2-8.3 dB). P/B units can preserve the high modulation gain (5-9 dB) up to 90 dB SPL. The modulation gain exponentially increases with decreasing modulation depth (Dm) and the phase-locking is detectable even at the Dm as low as 2-5%. The 'central skipping' of the phase-locking peak has been found at deep Dms in a few cases. The synchronization is independent of the discharge rate and can remain high even when the responses to AM tones are inhibited below the spontaneous activity. Such encoding behaviors over the unit's response area show that the Fm phase-locking is strong near or at its characteristic frequency (CF). The synchronization index (SI) versus carrier frequency (Fc) curve is similar to the inverse shape of tuning curve but more narrowly tuned than the iso-intensity function of pure tones at moderate to high intensity levels. The phase-locking is related to the unit's spontaneous rate (SR). The average modulation gain of the lower SR (< or = 2 spikes/s) units is 5 dB higher than that of the higher SR (> 2 spikes/s) units (8.16 and 2.92 dB, respectively) at 70 dB SPL. These results suggest that AM information is temporally encoded over broad ranges of modulation parameters in the DCN and is conveyed by the Fc channel. Such a timing mechanism can play an important role in processing of complex sounds under normal acoustic conditions.

Development of fetal hearing

Previous research has revealed that the human fetus responds to sound, but to date there has been little systematic investigation of the development of fetal hearing. The development of fetal behavioural responsiveness to pure tone auditory stimuli (100 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 3000 Hz) was examined from 19 to 35 weeks of gestational age. Stimuli were presented by a loudspeaker placed on the maternal abdomen and the fetus's response, a movement, recorded by ultrasound. The fetus responded first to the 500 Hz tone, where the first response was observed at 19 weeks of gestational age. The range of frequencies responded to expanded first downwards to lower frequencies, 100 Hz and 250 Hz, and then upwards to higher frequencies, 1000 Hz and 3000 Hz. At 27 weeks of gestational age, 96% of fetuses responded to the 250 Hz and 500 Hz tones but none responded to the 1000 Hz and 3000 Hz tones. Responsiveness to 1000 Hz and 3000 Hz tones was observed in all fetuses at 33 and 35 weeks of gestational age, respectively. For all frequencies there was a large decrease (20-30 dB) in the intensity level required to elicit a response as the fetus matured. The observed pattern of behavioural responsiveness reflects underlying maturation of the auditory system. The sensitivity of the fetus to sounds in the low frequency range may promote language acquisition and result in increased susceptibility to auditory system damage arising from exposure to intense low frequency sounds.

A physiological and structural study of neuron types in the cochlear nucleus. I. Intracellular responses to acoustic stimulation and current injection

Neurons in the cochlear nucleus differ in their discharge patterns when stimulated by tones. They also differ in their responses to depolarizing current injection in vitro. We made intracellular recordings from neurons in the cochlear nucleus of gerbils and chinchillas. The responses to tones and to depolarizing current were compared for the same neurons. Three categories of response patterns to tones were observed: chopper, primary-like, and onset. Chopper neurons responded with regularly spaced action potentials to stimulation with tones and to injections of depolarizing current. Their response rate rose with increasing levels of current to a maximum, which was comparable to that evoked by suprathreshold tones. These observations suggest that the regularity and maximal firing rate of these neurons are determined by voltage-dependent membrane properties. Primary-like neurons responded with irregularly spaced action potentials to tones. Injection of depolarizing current into these neurons produced a single action potential at current onset, which could be followed by a few irregularly spaced action potentials. The response rate showed little relation to current level. These data suggest that the membrane characteristics of primary-like neurons are different from those of chopper neurons. Onset neurons produced action potentials only at the beginning of the stimulus for both tones and depolarizing current, even though there was a sustained depolarization throughout the duration of the tone. The findings suggest that cochlear nucleus neurons have different membrane properties and that these properties may play a critical role in a neuron's temporal response pattern to acoustic stimulation.

Temporal coding of 200% amplitude modulated signals in the ventral cochlear nucleus of cat

The quasiperiodicity in the acoustic waveform in speech and music is a pervasive feature in our acoustic environment. The use of 200% amplitude modulated (AM) signals allows the study of rate and temporal envelope coding using three equal amplitude components, a situation that is frequently approximated in natural vocalizations. The recordings reported here were made in the ventral cochlear nucleus of the cat, a site of auditory signal feature enhancement and the origin of several ascending auditory pathways. The discharge rate vs modulation frequency relation was nearly always all-pass in shape for all unit types indicating that discharge rate is not a code for modulation frequency. Onset cells, especially onset-choppers and onset-I units, exhibited remarkable phase locking to the signal envelope, nearly to the exclusion of phase locking to the AM components. They exhibited lowpass temporal modulation transfer functions (tMTF) that occasionally had corner frequencies greater than 1 kHz. Primary-like, primary-like with notch, and onset-L units all exhibited considerable variability in their coding properties with tMTFs that varied from lowpass to bandpass in shape. The bandpass shape became more frequent with increasing stimulus levels. A common feature in cochlear nucleus units was less sensitivity to the level of the AM stimulus than is present in the auditory nerve. Phase locking to the envelope persisted over a wider range of stimulus levels than rate changes in a subset of the units studied. The tMTFs for a 100% sinusoidally modulated, spectrally-flat noise was similar in amplitude and bandwidth to those obtained for AM stimuli. The tMTF was relatively insensitive to carrier frequencies different than the unit characteristic frequency. AM synchrony vs level curves exhibited systematic shifts that equaled or exceeded dynamic rate shifts that occur with increasing levels of a noise masker. Phase locking to the envelope was robust under a wide variety of signal conditions in all unit types. The ordering of response types based on the maximum of the tMTF is onset-I = onset-chop > choppers = primarylike-with-notch = onset-L > primarylike.

After-discharges in the auditory cortex of the mustached bat: No oscillatory discharges for binding auditory information

Action potentials of single or multi-neurons were recorded from the DSCF, FM-FM and DF areas in the auditory cortex of the mustached bat to study stimulus-induced neural oscillation in the auditory system. Out of 125 neurons 120 recorded in these three areas showed after-discharges to a best stimulus. Durations of after-discharges of 120 neurons ranged between 4.8 and 217 ms. In the remaining 5 neurons, the duration of the discharges was shorter that of the stimulus. The PST histograms displaying responses of these 125 neurons showed no oscillatory component locked to the stimulus. 98% of the autocorrelograms of responses (122/125) showed no sign of oscillation, but the remaining two percent showed a very weak oscillatory component that was not stimulus-locked. The duration of the after-discharges had no correlation with the best delay or cortical depth of neurons. After-discharges are common in the auditory cortex of the mustached bat, but oscillatory discharges are very rare, so that neural oscillations play no role in binding various types of biosonar information processed in the different 'specialized' areas in the auditory cortex.

Anatomy and projection patterns of the superior olivary complex in the Mexican free-tailed bat, Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana

The superior olivary complex (SOC) is the first station in the ascending auditory pathway that receives binaural projections. Two of the principal nuclei, the lateral superior olive (LSO) and the medial superior olive (MSO), are major sources of ascending projections to the inferior colliculus. Whereas almost all mammals have an LSO, it has traditionally been thought that only animals that hear low frequencies have an MSO. Recent reports, however, suggest that the medial part of the SOC in bats is highly variable and that at least some bats have a well-developed MSO. Thus, the main goal of this study was to evaluate the cytoarchitecture and connections of the principal superior olivary nuclei of the Mexican free-tailed bat, with specific attention directed at the MSO. Cell and fiber stained material revealed that the LSO and the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) are similar to those described for other mammals. There are two medial nuclei we refer to as dorsomedial periolivary nucleus (DMPO) and MSO. Tracer experiments exhibited that the DMPO receives bilateral projections from the cochlear nucleus, and additional projections from the ipsilateral MNTB. The DMPO sends a strong projection to the ipsilateral inferior colliculus. Positive staining for acetylcholinesterase indicates that the DMPO is a part of the olivocochlear system, as it is in other animals. The MSO in the free-tailed bat meets many of the criteria that traditionally define this nucleus. These include the presence of bipolar and multipolar principal cells, bilateral innervation from the cochlear nucleus, a strong projection from the ipsilateral MNTB, and the absence of cholinergic cells. The major difference from traditional MSO features is that it projects bilaterally to the inferior colliculus. Approximately 30% of its cells provide collateral projections to the colliculi on both sides. Functional implications of the MSO for the free-tailed bat are considered in the Discussion.

Preferred intervals in birds and mammals: a filter response to noise?

Quasi-periodic spontaneous activity (preferred intervals, PIs) has been reported from avian primary auditory afferents. In mammals, PIs have not been reported, as yet. As the length of PIs is close to 1/characteristic frequency, it has been suggested that this type of spontaneous activity indicates particular mechanisms in avian inner ear transduction. However, the present paper shows that pigeon auditory fibres possessing preferred intervals in their spontaneous activity always belong to the most sensitive and the most sharply-tuned fibres recorded. This leads to the assumption that preferred intervals are the response of narrow-band filters to noise. This view is supported by three additional findings: (i) Near-threshold noise provokes PIs in avian fibres that show no spontaneous PIs. (ii) Similarly, PIs can also be evoked in mammalian (gerbil) auditory afferents by low level noise. (iii) Phase-locking of auditory afferents can be achieved by sound stimuli 10-20 dB below rate threshold. It is argued that no conclusions may be drawn from the presence of PIs about the nature of the underlying filter.