Electrophysiological evidence for the critical band in humans: middle-latency responses.
Electrophysiological evidence for the critical band phenomenon in humans using event-related potentials has been sought for many years with conflicting results. Components Na and Pa of the middle-latency response (MLR) and wave V of the auditory brain-stem response (ABR) were simultaneously recorded in response to a two-tone complex varying in bandwidth from 76 Hz to 1012 Hz, centered at 2 kHz, and presented at an overall level of 85 dB SPL, in ten normal female subjects. Only the amplitude of Na showed an abrupt increase as bandwidth changed from 268 to 330 Hz, yielding an estimate of critical bandwidth in good agreement with previous behavioral estimates.
Burrows
D L
DL
Department of Communication Disorders, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City 73190.
Barry
S J
SJ
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010897:Pitch Discrimination / Q000502:physiology*; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*