Use of pseudorandom noise in studies of auditory evoked potentials

The extent to which sensorineural systems such as the auditory system are nonlinear depends on the type of stimulus that is used, and the part of the system from which recordings are made. An estimate of the first-order Wiener kernel of the evoked response from the inferior colliculus to amplitude-modulated tones and noise was obtained by cross-correlating the response with the same pseudorandom noise as was used to amplitude modulate the sounds that were used as stimuli, in order to characterize the linear portion of the system. The shape of these cross-correlograms resembled the potentials evoked to short bursts of the unmodulated tones and noise. The degree of nonlinearity in the response to amplitude-modulated tones and noise was determined, and information about the type of nonlinearity was obtained using the inverse-repeat feature of the pseudorandom noise. Recordings both from the surface and from deep in the nucleus of the inferior colliculus revealed nonlinearities that were predominantly of an even order, but the magnitude of the nonlinearities depended on what stimulus was used, the stimulus intensity, and from which neural structure the recording was made.