Zwicker tone illusion and noise reduction in the auditory system

The Zwicker tone is an auditory aftereffect. For instance, after switching off a broadband noise with a spectral gap, one perceives it as a lingering pure tone with the pitch in the gap. It is a unique illusion in that it cannot be explained by known properties of the auditory periphery alone. Here...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2003-05, Vol.90 (17), p.178103, Article 178103
Main Authors: Franosch, Jan-Moritz P, Kempter, Richard, Fastl, Hugo, van Hemmen, J Leo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Auditory Pathways - physiology
Auditory Threshold - physiology
Computer Simulation
Models, Neurological
Neurons - physiology
Noise
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Summary:The Zwicker tone is an auditory aftereffect. For instance, after switching off a broadband noise with a spectral gap, one perceives it as a lingering pure tone with the pitch in the gap. It is a unique illusion in that it cannot be explained by known properties of the auditory periphery alone. Here we introduce a neuronal model explaining the Zwicker tone. We show that a neuronal noise-reduction mechanism in conjunction with dominantly unilateral inhibition explains the effect. A pure tone's "hole burning" in noisy surroundings is given as an illustration.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.178103