Dynamic Properties of Primary Auditory Fibers Compared with Cells in the Cochlear Nucleus

Abstract

The dynamic properties of the responses of single primary auditory fibers were compared with those of single cells in the [rat] cochlear nucleus. The stimuli were tones (at the unit''s characteristic frequency, CF) that were amplitude-modulated with pseudorandom noise. The dynamic properties were described by the cross-covariance and integrated cross-covariance functions between the recorded discharge rate and the modulation. These 2 measures were shown earlier to be valid approximations of the system''s impulse and step response function, i.e., the change in discharge rate in response to a short impulsive increase (or decrease) in the stimulus intensity and a step increment (or decrement) in the stimulus intensity. The cross-covariance function computed from the responses of fibers had a narrower peak than that of cells indicating that a brief change in stimulus intensity gives rise to a faster change in the discharge rate of fibers than that of cells. The modulation of the discharge rate of cells for a certain degree of amplitude modulation of the sound was usually greater than that of fibers. The range of stimulus intensities where a change in stimulus intensity gives rise to a change in discharge rate was smaller for fibers (about 30 dB) than what was shown earlier for cells (70-80 dB). The cross-covariance function computed from the slow wave responses recorded from the surface of the cochlear nucleus in response to an amplitude-modulated tone had individual peaks that reflect distinct classes of units with regard to latency of unit discharges.