A macro-mechanical model of the guinea pig cochlea with realistic parameters

The post-mortem transfer function of the cochlea of the guinea pig was compared to the transfer function generated by a model with parameters derived from physical measurements of the guinea pig cochlea. Both the formulation and parameters of the model were carefully chosen to be realistic using evidence from published measurements. The fit between the transfer function of the model and recent mechanical measurements of the passive guinea pig cochlear response was good, with a root mean square ratio of 6.3 dB in amplitude and 0.33 pi rad in phase. The model was used to explore the effect of cochlear partition mode factor and duct geometry upon the mechanical response of the cochlea. Possible inadequacies of the model which could explain the remaining differences between the output of the model and measurements are discussed.     

The application of a capacitive probe technique for direct observation of electromechanical processes in the guinea pig cochlea

The demonstration of evoked mechanical responses of the outer hair cells in the mammalian cochlea by indirect measurements introduces a new range of problems into direct mechanical measurements. Direct and indirect measurements indicate that the frequency spectra of evoked electromechanical responses may extend well into the range of audio frequencies, revealing a need to develop terminology and protocols for distinguishing evoked mechanical responses from the traditional traveling wave when both are apparently superimposed on the motion of the basilar membrane in the normally functioning cochlea. Details are presented of a frequency-modulation capacitive probe technique for measurement of vibrating structures of the guinea pig ear. Considerations include the design of the transducer, calibration, sensitivity, linearity, and sources of noise, as well as the influence of the technique upon the animal preparation, and in particular the issues associated with draining scala tympani for the measurement. Relative advantages and disadvantages of the technique are compared with salient features of other techniques currently available. In view of the apparent complexity of cochlear mechanics some preliminary experiments are required to elucidate some of the key questions about reverse-transduction processes in general. A "simple" first experiment is to test existence of any rectifying or motile response.     

The representation of steady-state vowel sounds in the temporal discharge patterns of the guinea pig cochlear nerve and primarylike cochlear nucleus neurons

We have recorded the responses of fibers in the cochlear nerve and cells in the cochlear nucleus of the anesthetized guinea pig to synthetic vowels [i], [a], and [u] at 60 and 80 dB SPL. Histograms synchronized to the pitch period of the vowel were constructed, and locking of the discharge to individual harmonics was estimated from these by Fourier transformation. In cochlear nerve fibers from the guinea pig, the responses were similar in all respects to those previously described for the cat. In particular, the average-localized-synchronized-rate functions (ALSR), computed from pooled data, had well-defined peaks corresponding to the formant frequencies of the three vowels at both sound levels. Analysis of the components dominating the discharge could also be used to determine the voice pitch and the frequency of the first formants. We have computed similar population measures over a sample of primarylike cochlear nucleus neurons. In these primarylike cochlear nucleus cell responses, the locking to the higher-frequency formants of the vowels is weaker than in the nerve. This results in a severe degradation of the peaks in the ALSR function at the second and third formant frequencies at least for [i] and [u]. This result is somewhat surprising in light of the reports that primarylike cochlear nucleus cells phaselock, as well as do cochlear nerve fibers.     

Changes of summating potentials and morphology in theguinea pig cochlea during anoxia

I.IntroductionThesummatingpotcntia1s(SPs)rcprcscntsaspccificbioe1cctronphenomenonofthecoch1ea.C1inica1lythedominant-SPisnowtakenasasignofrecruitmcnt.However,themechanismofrecruitn1cnt,exccptinMcnicrcdiscase,isnotentireIyunderstood.Thedynamicchangcsinamp1itudcandpolarityofSP,lnrclationtothethrcsho1dshiftofcompoundactionpotential(CAP),SPandcndocochlcapotcntial(EP)inthescalcmcdiawcrcexaminedatonehmewithsing1cmicropipctduringandaftcranoxia.Also,themorpho1ogicchangesinthein-nerhaircc11s(IHC…     

Changes of summating potentials in the guinea pig cochlea after impulse sound exposure

Compound action potentials(CAP)and action potential-summatingpotential complex(AP-SP)evoked by click and tone burst respectively were re-corded from the round window in guinea pigs.Correlations between the posi-tive and negative summating potentials(SP and SP-)were examined beforeand after impulse sound exposure.The results show that the SP- is related tothe threshold shift of CAP.In comparison to normal condtion,it appears witha high incidence when the auditory threshold shift reaches 30 dB or more.SP-increases in amplitude when SP decreases.The smaller the amplitude of SP ,the larger that of SP-.This suggests that in normal hearing condition SP- maybe suppressed by SP .Such suppression may be released if OHCs are injured.The dominant SP- as a sign of recruitment may be due to the change in thenonlinear character of IHC following OHC damage.     

The representation of the spectra and fundamental frequencies of steady-state single- and double-vowel sounds in the temporal discharge patterns of guinea pig cochlear-nerve fibers

Psychophysical results using double vowels imply that subjects are able to use the temporal aspects of neural discharge patterns. To investigate the possible temporal cues available, the responses of fibers in the cochlear nerve of the anesthetized guinea pig to synthetic vowels were recorded at a range of sound levels up to 95 dB SPL. The stimuli were the single vowels /i/ [fundamental frequency (f0) 125 Hz], /a/ (f0, 100 Hz), and /c/ (f0, 100 Hz) and the double vowels were /a(100),i(125)/ and /c(100),i(125)/. Histograms synchronized to the period of the double vowels were constructed, and locking of the discharge to individual harmonics was estimated from them by Fourier transformation. One possible cue for identifying the f0's of the constituents of a double vowel is modulation of the neural discharge with a period of 1/f0. Such modulation was found at frequencies between the formant peaks of the double vowel, with modulation at the periods of 100 and 125 Hz occurring at different places in the fiber array. Generation of a population response based on synchronized responses [average localized synchronized rate (ALSR): see Young and Sachs [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 66, 1381-1403 (1979)] allowed estimation of the f0's by a variety of methods and subsampling the population response at the harmonics of the f0 of the constituent vowel achieved a good reconstruction of its spectrum. Other analyses using interval histograms and autocorrelation, which overcome some problems associated with the ALSR approach, also allowed f0 identification and vowel segregation. The present study has demonstrated unequivocally that the timing of the impulses in auditory-nerve fibers provides copious possible cues for the identification of the fundamental frequencies and spectra associated with each of the constituents of double vowels.     

Group delay measurement from spiral ganglion cells in the basal turn of the guinea pig cochlea

Measurements of group delay were made extracellularly from spiral ganglion cells in the 3.7 to 5.0-mm region of the guinea pig cochlea, using sinusoidally amplitude modulated tones with constant modulating frequency (100 Hz) and depth of modulation (0.19). Threshold cochlear tuning was accompanied by frequency-dependent group delays. The group delay on the low-frequency tail was independent of carrier frequency; the interunit variation was 0.28-1.28 ms. The difference in group delay between CF and the low-frequency tail decreased as the CF threshold increased (-0.09 +/- 0.02 ms per 10 dB, beginning at 0.62 +/- 0.07 ms at 0 dB SPL). The group delay decreased above CF; at the units' maximum frequency it was less than the low-frequency tail value, and was sometimes negative. Following arterial injections of furosemide the CF threshold increased and the group delay peak decreased; the low-frequency tail was unaffected. The group delay decreased with increasing intensity; the reduction near and above CF was not only larger than that on the low-frequency tail, but also the change at 5-10 dB above threshold was far greater than expected from the Q10dB of the suprathreshold iso-rate tuning curves. A minimum-phase analysis suggested that the group delay response above CF, together with its nonlinear behavior, can be accounted for by a high-frequency, level-independent, amplitude plateau, in combination with the single unit, amplitude nonlinearity which is known to exist above CF.     

Chronic excitotoxicity in the guinea pig cochlea induces temporary functional deficits without disrupting otoacoustic emissions

Brief cochlear excitotoxicity produces temporary neural swelling and transient deficits in auditory sensitivity; however, the consequences of long-lasting excitotoxic insult have not been tested. Chronic intra-cochlear infusion of the glutamate agonist AMPA (a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) resulted in functional deficits in the sound-evoked auditory brainstem response, as well as in behavioral measures of hearing. The electrophysiological deficits were similar to those observed following acute infusion of AMPA into the cochlea; however, the concentration-response curve was significantly shifted as a consequence of the slower infusion rate used with chronic cochlear administration. As observed following acute excitotoxic insult, complete functional recovery was evident within 7 days of discontinuing the AMPA infusion. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions were not affected by chronic AMPA infusion, suggesting that trauma to outer hair cells did not contribute to AMPA-induced deficits in acoustic sensitivity. Results from the current experiment address the permanence of deficits induced by chronic (14 day) excitotoxic insult as well as deficits in psychophysical detection of longer duration acoustic signals.     

The nonlinear group representation method in the nonlinear spinor theory

Nonlinear spinor equations are derived in the paper by the nonlinear symmetry-group representation method. The basic field transforms according to the linear spinor representation of the orthochronous Lorentz group Lt. The internal symmetry group G^r is realized as a group of nonlinear transformations of the field . The invariant nonlinear spinor equations constituting the group G^r are found in terms of the covariant derivative. The group SU(2) is considered as an example.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 49–55, December, 1972.The author thanks D. D. Ivanenko and D. F. Kurdgelaidze for stimulating discussions and support.     

Transient-evoked otoacoustic emission generators in a nonlinear cochlea

This study focuses on the theoretical prediction and experimental evaluation of the latency of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions. Response components with different delay have been identified in several studies. The main generator of the transient response is assumed to be coherent reflection from cochlear roughness near the resonant place. Additional components of different latency can be generated by different mechanisms. Experimental data are re-analyzed in this study to evaluate the dependence of the latency on stimulus level, for each component of the response, showing that previous estimates of the otoacoustic emission latency were affected by systematic errors. The latency of the emission from each generator changes very little with stimulus level, whereas their different growth rate causes sharp changes of the single-valued latency, estimated as the time of the absolute maximum of the bandpass filtered response. Results of passive linear models, in which gain and bandwidth of the cochlear amplifier are strictly related, are incompatible with the observations. Although active linear models including delayed stiffness terms do predict much slower dependence of latency on the stimulus level, a suitable nonlinear model should be designed, capable of decoupling more effectively the dependence on stimulus level of amplitude and phase of the otoacoustic response.     

A comparison between basilar membrane and inner hair cell receptor potential input-output functions in the guinea pig cochlea

Intracellular recordings were made from inner hair cells and basilar membrane motion was measured at a similar place, but in different preparations, in the first turn of the guinea pig cochlea. Potential recordings were made using glass microelectrodes and mechanical measurements were made using the M?ssbauer technique. Intensity functions of DC receptor potential and basilar membrane velocity in animals with good and poor thresholds are presented. In animals with good thresholds, stimuli at and above the characteristic frequency produce similarly compressive input-output functions for both inner hair cell receptor potentials and basilar membrane motion. However, for frequencies lower than the characteristic frequency, receptor potential input-output functions obtained from animals in good and poor condition show saturation at high stimulus intensities at which basilar membrane motion is linear. This discrepancy is believed to be due to a nonlinear inner hair cell transduction mechanism. We propose that nonlinearity observed in receptor potential input-output functions is a consequence of the simple cascading of a frequency-dependent nonlinear mechanical input and a frequency-independent nonlinear transduction process.     

脉冲声暴露前后豚鼠耳蜗正、负和电位的变化

在豚鼠埋植慢性圆窗电极后,用短声诱发复合动作电位(CAP),用短纯音诱发动作电位-和电位(AP-SP)的复合波。观察脉冲声暴露前后SP^-和SP⁺相互关系及随恢复时间的变化.结果表明,SP^-的出现与CAP的阈移有关,当阈移≥30dB,即外毛细胞(OHC)损伤到一定程度时,SP^-出现率高;SP⁺下降越多,SP^-出现的幅度升高的愈多,反之亦然,提示在正常情况下,SP⁺对SP^-有抑制作用.OHC受损后,可能解除了这种抑制.所以作为重振现象指征的优势SP^-很可能是当OHC受损后,改变了内毛细胞(IHC)非线性特点所致。     

The temporal window of audio-tactile integration in speech perception

Asynchronous cross-modal information is integrated asymmetrically in audio-visual perception. To test whether this asymmetry generalizes across modalities, auditory (aspirated "pa" and unaspirated "ba" stops) and tactile (slight, inaudible, cutaneous air puffs) signals were presented synchronously and asynchronously. Results were similar to previous AV studies: the temporal window of integration for the enhancement effect (but not the interference effect) was asymmetrical, allowing up to 200 ms of asynchrony when the puff followed the audio signal, but only up to 50 ms when the puff preceded the audio signal. These findings suggest that perceivers accommodate differences in physical transmission speed of different multimodal signals.     

实时识别中语音的时域─频域─能量表示

本文提出了语音信号的一种时域－频域－能量表示,并给出了算法,可用于孤立词语音识别,这种时域－频域－能量表示有两个特点,基于短时能量梯度的非线性时间规正,可保留语音信号频域的过滤特性,丢掉其稳态特性,计算量小,适于实时应用。