| Abstract: | Compound action potential (AP) thresholds and tuning curves were measured in the alligator lizard using techniques similar to those used with the mammal. For tone burst stimuli, the AP was a major component of the gross response, the electrical response to sound recorded by a wire electrode near the cochlea. The AP thresholds agreed well with threshold estimates based on single-fiber data. A forward masking paradigm produced AP tuning curves which resemble single-fiber tuning curves. A simultaneous masking paradigm produced curves which match the boundaries of single-fiber two-tone rate suppression. The AP thresholds and tuning curves provide useful information about the peripheral physiology of the ear of the alligator lizard. |
