Abstract
Previous studies have revealed that sound stimuli are transformed into two kinds of information in the cochlea: frequency information and temporal information. In speech perception, the important role of temporal information has been well recognized. Although many investigators have examined temporal firing patterns of the cochlea nerve in anesthetized animals, few have studied human cochlea because of the limitations of electrophysiological techniques. In this paper, a train of continuously detected compound action potentials (CAPs) was examined and used as an indicator of temporal information. CAPs are believed to represent synchronized firings of auditory nerve fibers and can be obtained easily in human.
Sound perception mechanisms, which aggressively included missing fundamentals and speech sounds, were reviewed and elucidated from the standpoint of CAP production. It is suggested that better understanding of temporal information will provide valuable information for improving hearing aids and cochlea implants.
