Mechanical Filtering of Sound in the Inner Ear

We have studied the distortion generated by the cochlea to gain insight into the mechanisms responsible for the sharp tuning or ‘frequency selectivity’ of the inner ear. We used two stimulating tones of moderate intensity which are progressively separated in frequency, and measured the ear canal cub...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 1992-10, Vol.250 (1327), p.29-34
Main Authors: Brown, A. M., Gaskill, S. A., Williams, David M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic Stimulation
Adult
Basilar membrane
Basilar Membrane - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Biomechanical Phenomena
Cochlea
Cochlea - physiology
Ear and associated structures. Auditory pathways and centers. Hearing. Vocal organ. Phonation. Sound production. Echolocation
Ear canal
Ear, Inner - physiology
Female
Fracture mechanics
Frequency ranges
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hearing - physiology
Humans
Male
Octaves
Outer hair cells
Perceptual Distortion - physiology
Stereocilia
Tectorial membrane
Tectorial Membrane - physiology
Tonal regions
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
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Summary:We have studied the distortion generated by the cochlea to gain insight into the mechanisms responsible for the sharp tuning or ‘frequency selectivity’ of the inner ear. We used two stimulating tones of moderate intensity which are progressively separated in frequency, and measured the ear canal cubic distortion components which are generated as a consequence of the stimulus interaction in the cochlea. We inferred that the distortion is generated from the frequency region of the higher of the two stimulus tones and that it is then band-pass filtered by a structure which is tuned to a frequency just over half an octave below that of the high-frequency tone. We suggest that the structure responsible for this band-pass filtering is the tectorial membrane, and we conclude that our results support theories of cochlear mechanics in which resonances due to the tectorial membrane interact with those of the basilar membrane to enhance the frequency selectivity of the inner ear.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.1992.0126