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Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Published on: July 1, 2015

Temporal processing of low-frequency sounds by seals (L).

Colleen Reichmuth¹, Asila Ghoul, Brandon L Southall

¹Long Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95060, USA. coll@ucsc.edu

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

|October 9, 2012

Summary

Harbor seals have surprisingly long auditory integration times for low-frequency sounds. This study found no improved audibility for 200 Hz tones in seals when signal duration exceeded 500 ms.

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Area of Science:

Marine Mammal Auditory Perception
Bioacoustics
Auditory Neuroscience

Background:

Previous research indicated auditory integration times exceeding 3000 ms in harbor seals for 200 Hz tones.
This finding contrasts with typical mammalian auditory time constants (<500 ms) for frequencies above 1 kHz.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the auditory integration time of harbor seals for low-frequency (200 Hz) tonal signals.
To determine if extended signal durations improve audibility in harbor seals.

Main Methods:

Auditory thresholds and reaction times were measured in a harbor seal for 200 Hz tones.
Tones were presented in air and water with durations of 500 ms and 2500 ms.

Main Results:

No significant gain in audibility was observed when signal duration increased from 500 ms to 2500 ms.
Auditory integration time for 200 Hz tones in harbor seals appears to plateau around 500 ms.

Conclusions:

The previously reported exceptionally long auditory integration times for harbor seals may not reflect a general improvement in audibility with duration.
Auditory processing in harbor seals for low frequencies may be limited by mechanisms other than simple integration time.