Encoding of steady-state vowels in the auditory nerve: Representation in terms of discharge rate

摘要: Responses of large populations auditory‐nerve fibers to synthesized steady‐state vowels were recorded in anesthetized cats. Driven discharge rate vowels, normalized by dividing saturation (estimated from the driven CF tones 50 dB above threshold), was plotted versus fiber for a number vowel levels. For /I/ and /e/, such profiles showed peak region first formant another second third formants, sound levels below about 70 SPL. /a/ at 40 SPL there are peaks formants. At higher these disappear all because combination two‐tone suppression. This must be qualified saying that separately units with spontaneous rates less than one spike per may retain Rate level functions CFs can saturate or they nonmonotonic; effects most likely produced same mechanism as involved