Physiological observations on the neural representation of complex pitch

Abstract

Pitch models which depend on the manner in which the frequencies of pitch‐evoking stimuli are encoded in the temporal discharge patterns of neurones in the auditory periphery, would be easier to test if it were possible to predict the temporal discharge patterns in response to such complex stimuli. As an extreme case, the effects of variants of the click trains, whose pitch has been the subject of controversy between Whitfield and Moore (see Evan's chapter in Hearing—Psychological Bases and Psychophysics, edited by R. Klinke and R. Hartmann (Springer, New York, 1985) have been studied at the level of the cat's cochlear nerve. In particular, the following stimuli have been used on fibers with characteristic frequencies up to 4 kHz: pulse trains with even intervals of 5, 10, 20 ms; uneven intervals of 4.5/5.5 ms, 4.6/5.4 ms, 4.8/5.2 ms, and even intervals of 2.5 and 5 ms with alternate click phases. Autocorrelations have been performed of the spike discharge patterns evoked by the stimuli. To a first approx...