title: Constructing a cochlear transducer function from the summating potential using a low-frequency bias tone.
abstract: A new method is developed to construct a cochlear transducer function using modulation of the summating potential (SP), a dc component of the electrical response of the cochlea to a sinusoid. It is mathematically shown that the magnitude of the SP is determined by the even-order terms of the power series representing a nonlinear function. The relationship between the SP magnitudes and the second derivative of the transducer function was determined by using a low-frequency bias tone to position a high-frequency probe tone at different places along the cochlear transducer function. Two probe tones (6 kHz and 12 kHz) ranging from 70 to 90 dB SPL and a 25-Hz bias tone at 130 dB SPL were simultaneously presented. Electric responses from the cochlea were recorded by an electrode placed at the round window to obtain the SP magnitudes. The experimental results from eight animals demonstrated that the SP magnitudes as a function of bias levels are essentially proportional to the second derivative of a sigmoidal Boltzmann function. This suggests that the low-frequency modulated SP amplitude can be used to construct a cochlear transducer function.
authors.affiliation: Bobby R Alford Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Communicative Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. cchoi@bcm.tmc.edu
authors.forename: Chul-Hee
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Chertoff
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bian
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lerner
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D003051:Cochlea / Q000502:physiology*; D003055:Cochlear Microphonic Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D005849:Gerbillinae; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*