The sensitivity of listeners to changes in the center frequency of vowel-like harmonic complexes as a function of the center frequency of the complex cannot be explained by changes in the level of the stimulus [Lyzenga and Horst, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 98, 1943–1955 (1995)]. Rather, a complex pattern of sensitivity is seen; for a spectrum with a triangular envelope, the greatest sensitivity occurs when the center frequency falls between harmonics, whereas for a spectrum with a trapezoidal envelope, greatest sensitivity occurs when the center frequency is aligned with a harmonic. In this study, the thresholds of a population model of auditory-nerve (AN) fibers were quantitatively compared to these trends in psychophysical thresholds. Single-fiber and population model responses were evaluated in terms of both average discharge rate and the combination of rate and timing information. Results indicate that phase-locked responses of AN fibers encode phase transitions associated with minima in these amplitude-modulated stimuli. The temporal response properties of a single AN fiber, tuned to a frequency slightly above the center frequency of the harmonic complex, were able to explain the trends in thresholds for both triangular- and trapezoidal-shaped spectra.
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March 2005
March 10 2005
Encoding of vowel-like sounds in the auditory nerve: Model predictions of discrimination performance
Qing Tan;
Qing Tan
Boston University Hearing Research Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
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Laurel H. Carney
Laurel H. Carney
Boston University Hearing Research Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
Department of Bioengineering & Neuroscience, Institute for Sensory Research, 621 Skytop Road, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244
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J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 117, 1210–1222 (2005)
Article history
Received:
May 02 2004
Accepted:
December 16 2004
Citation
Qing Tan, Laurel H. Carney; Encoding of vowel-like sounds in the auditory nerve: Model predictions of discrimination performance. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 1 March 2005; 117 (3): 1210–1222. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1856391
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