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A model of the peripheral auditory system

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Summary

Recent electrophysiological data obtained from auditory nerve fibers of cats have made possible the formulation of a model of the peripheral auditory system that relates the all-or-none activity of these fibers to acoustic stimulation. The components of the model are intended to represent the major functional components of the peripheral system. These components are: (i) a linear mechanical system intended to represent the outer, middle, and mechanical parts of the inner ear; (ii) a transducer intended to represent the action of the sensory cells; and (iii) a model neuron whose properties are intended to represent the nerve excitation process. A general-purpose digital computer has been used to determine the response of the model to a variety of acoustic stimuli. These results have been compared with data obtained from auditory nerve fibers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Communication Sciences, Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

    Thomas F. Weiss

  2. Eaton-Peabody Laboratory of Auditory Physiology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Thomas F. Weiss

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  1. Thomas F. Weiss
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This work was supported in part by the Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DA 36-039-AMC-03200(E); and in part by the National Science Foundation (Grant GP-2495), the National Institutes of Health (Grant MH-04737-05), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NsG-496); and by Research Grant NB-01344, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness of the National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service.

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Weiss, T.F. A model of the peripheral auditory system. Kybernetik 3, 153–175 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290252

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