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Hearing

Hearing

When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.

Hair Cells

Hair Cells

Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.

The Cochlea

The Cochlea

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.

Anatomy of the Ear

Anatomy of the Ear

Auditory sensation, commonly called hearing, involves the transformation of sonic waves into neural impulses facilitated by the structures of the auditory organ. The prominent, flesh-like structure on the side of the head, called the auricle, directs sound waves towards the auditory canal. The auricle is often mislabeled as the pinna, a term more aligned with mobile structures like a feline's external ear. The auditory canal penetrates the cranium via the external auditory meatus of the...

Auditory Pathway

Auditory Pathway

Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...

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Related Experiment Video

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In Ovo Electroporation in the Chicken Auditory Brainstem

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Vowel and vowel sequence processing by cochlear nucleus neurons

P Mandava¹, A L Rupert, G Moushegian

¹Callier Center for Communication Disorders, University of Texas at Dallas 75235, USA.

Hearing Research

|July 1, 1995

Summary

Neuronal responses to vowel sequences are interactive, with patterns changing based on vowel pairs and sound levels. This challenges predictions based solely on single vowel data in chinchilla auditory systems.

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Area of Science:

Auditory Neuroscience
Mammalian Auditory System Research

Background:

The auditory system processes complex sounds like speech.
Understanding neuronal responses to vowel sequences is crucial for auditory perception.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how neuronal discharge rates and temporal patterns change in response to vowel sequences.
To compare responses to single vowels versus paired vowels in chinchilla auditory neurons.

Main Methods:

Studied primary-like, chopper, and onset neurons in chinchilla.
Presented individual vowels (/i/, /a/, /u/) and paired vowels with varying separations and sound levels.
Analyzed interspike intervals, periods, and post-stimulus-time histograms.

Main Results:

Neuronal responses (rate and temporal patterns) were modified by vowel sequences.
Primary-like and chopper neurons showed enhanced or reduced discharges; onset neurons only showed reductions.
Novel discharge intervals emerged with paired vowels, and subthreshold preceding vowels enhanced subsequent discharges.

Conclusions:

Auditory neuronal responses to paired vowels are interactive and not simply additive.
Neuronal heterogeneity in the cochlear nuclei means responses cannot be predicted from single-vowel or sinusoidal data alone.