Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026

Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea
Published on: May 10, 2019
[I can hear you, but I don't understand you. Why is it so important to perceive high frequencies?]
1Praxis für Musiktherapie, Musikpsychologie, Hör- und Stimmtherapie, Therapie & Praxis Nymphenburg, Hubertusstr. 22, 80639, München, Deutschland. annettecramer@t-online.de
Abstract:
The word personality is derived from the Latin word "persona" (mask, person); "per sona" means "by the sound or through the sound". In order to look through speech, to hear "behind the mask of a person", we have to be able to hear properly. Especially the frequencies between 2 kHz and 5 kHz and the overtones (the higher we can perceive them, the better) play a central role for decoding vowels, consonants and effects of emotions in voice and speech; beyond that they provide the perfect enjoyment of music and sound. Obviously they are also a vital physical necessity. High frequencies stimulate, they provoke attentiveness and concentration. The activity level of the reticular formation is affected by the influent of the sensory organs with a crucial role by the hearing sense. Hearing in high frequencies leads to higher metabolism, to better motility, to an activation of the gamma nervous system and to a better transfer of information.
Related Concept Videos
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
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...
Perception of Sound Waves
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same frequency...
Hearing
Sound Intensity Level
The human ear can perceive an extensive range of sound intensity, necessitating the use of the logarithmic scale to define a physical quantity—the intensity level. It is a ratio of two intensities and hence a...
The Cochlea
Auditory Perception

