A model of lateral line microphonic response to high-level stimuli

The electrical potential recorded from the lateral line canal organs of fish in response to a sinusoidal vibratory stimulus consists of a microphonic component with frequency twice that of the stimulus plus a dc shift. This paper describes the behavior of both components as functions of stimulus frequency (from 100 to 400 Hz) and amplitude. The microphonic decreases with frequency, while the dc shift increases, and the two components have different input-output functions. An analytical model of hair cell electrical properties with an asymmetric saturating nonlinear conductance is presented that describes the behavior of both the microphonic and the dc shift.