Recovering from long-term and short-term adaptation of the whole nerve action potential

Properties of adaptation and recovery from adaptation are measured in response to adapter tones of short duration (100 ms), intermediate duration (1 m), and long duration (2-15 m). The decrease in N1 potential in response to a probe tone burst was used to assess the magnitude of adaptation. By measuring the response at different times after adapter offset the time course of recovery was assessed. By measuring the response to different probe frequencies, the spread of adaptation across place in the cochlea was assessed. Adapters of different duration showed quite different spread of adaptation across probe frequency. Short-duration adapters resulted in decrements of probe response greatest at and above probe frequency. Intermediate- and long-duration adapters showed progressively greater shifts in peak decrement to higher probe frequencies as adapter level was increased.