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Related Concept Videos

Action Potential

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
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The Cochlea

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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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea

Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea

Published on: May 10, 2019

Complementary metrics of human auditory nerve function derived from compound action potentials.

Kelly C Harris¹, Kenneth I Vaden¹, Carolyn M McClaskey¹

¹Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina , Charleston, South Carolina.

Journal of Neurophysiology

|December 1, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

New metrics using compound action potential (CAP) can now assess auditory nerve (AN) function noninvasively. This aids in understanding auditory processing deficits and developing new diagnostics for hearing conditions.

Keywords:

auditory nerve cochlear synaptopathy compound action potential phase locking value

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea

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Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve

Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve

Published on: October 8, 2014

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Audiology
Hearing Science

Background:

Auditory nerve (AN) dysfunction contributes to communication deficits in various hearing conditions.
Current methods to assess human AN loss or dysfunction are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and validate novel, noninvasive metrics for characterizing auditory nerve function in humans.
To investigate the relationship between stimulus intensity and AN activity metrics.

Main Methods:

Utilized compound action potential (CAP) recordings, a direct measure of summated AN activity.
Developed several complementary metrics to analyze CAP data.
Examined metric changes with stimulus intensity and interpreted within physiological frameworks.

Main Results:

Introduced novel metrics derived from CAP to quantify neural synchrony and AN fiber recruitment.
Demonstrated that these metrics reflect AN function and are influenced by factors like noise exposure history.
Showcased the potential of these metrics for characterizing AN function in humans.

Conclusions:

The developed metrics offer a noninvasive approach to assess auditory nerve function.
These metrics represent a significant advancement toward new diagnostics for AN dysfunction.
This work provides a foundation for understanding suprathreshold auditory processing deficits related to AN health.