Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Cochlea

The Cochlea

The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.

Hearing

Hearing

When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...

Hair Cells

Hair Cells

Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Impact of reduced spectral resolution on temporal-coherence-based source segregation.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·2024

Same author

Subjective benefits from wearing self-fitting over-the-counter hearing aids in the real world.

Frontiers in neuroscience·2024

Same author

Impact of Reduced Spectral Resolution on Temporal-Coherence-Based Source Segregation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2024

Same author

Estimation of Cochlear Frequency Selectivity Using a Convolution Model of Forward-Masked Compound Action Potentials.

Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology : JARO·2024

Same author

A multi-channel EEG mini-cap can improve reliability for recording auditory brainstem responses in chinchillas.

Journal of neuroscience methods·2023

Same author

Induced alpha and beta electroencephalographic rhythms covary with single-trial speech intelligibility in competition.

Scientific reports·2023

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages

Published on: March 24, 2023

Quantifying envelope and fine-structure coding in auditory nerve responses to chimaeric speech.

Michael G Heinz¹, Jayaganesh Swaminathan

¹Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. mheinz@purdue.edu

Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology : JARO

|April 15, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed neural cross-correlation coefficients to measure how well the brain recovers sound envelopes from fine structure. This method helps understand speech perception and hearing loss, finding better envelope recovery with simpler sound structures.

More Related Videos

Data Acquisition and Analysis In Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry In Mice

Data Acquisition and Analysis In Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry In Mice

Published on: May 10, 2019

Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve

Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve

Published on: October 8, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages

Published on: March 24, 2023

Data Acquisition and Analysis In Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry In Mice

Data Acquisition and Analysis In Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry In Mice

Published on: May 10, 2019

Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve

Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve

Published on: October 8, 2014

Area of Science:

Auditory Neuroscience
Signal Processing
Speech Perception

Background:

Sound is composed of an envelope and fine structure, crucial for perception.
Auditory chimaeras separate these components, but physiological evaluation of envelope recovery is challenging.
Neural cross-correlation coefficients offer a method to quantify envelope recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate envelope recovery at the cochlear output using neural cross-correlation coefficients.
To investigate the role of fine structure in coding speech envelopes.
To assess the impact of sensorineural hearing loss on envelope coding.

Main Methods:

Developed and applied neural cross-correlation coefficients to spike-train responses.
Utilized shuffled auto- and cross-correlogram analyses on model and recorded auditory nerve fiber data.
Extended correlogram analyses for improved envelope coding isolation in low-frequency auditory nerve fibers.

Main Results:

Recovered speech envelopes were detected in responses to auditory chimaeras.
Envelope recovery was significantly better for one-band stimuli compared to 16-band.
Model predictions indicated reduced envelope recovery in sensorineural hearing loss due to broadened cochlear tuning.

Conclusions:

Neural cross-correlation coefficients effectively quantify envelope recovery from sound fine structure.
Envelope recovery is more robust with simpler acoustic stimuli, aligning with perceptual data.
These metrics are valuable for studying temporal coding in normal and impaired hearing, including sensorineural hearing loss.