Possible Method of Memorizing Tonal Sound Signal Frequency in the Human Auditory System

Margarita Stefanovich

doi:10.11648/j.aap.20190402.12

Abstract

The book "Das Ohr als Nachrichten Empfänger" by Zwicker and Feldkeller was published in 1967. It four experiments researching into the study of human acoustic sensation in the perception of a tonal sound signal. Comprehensive analysis of their results allows us to understand that the auditory system remembers information regarding the frequency of sound on the basis of on the principle of place. According to their biophysical characteristics the complex of elements Inner Hair Cells-Basilar membrane-Outer Hair Cells (OHC-BM-IHC) is a series connection of parallel resonant circuits. During the process of perceiving a tonal sound signal, the greatest amplitude of the transverse oscillations of the BM of the cochlea is observed at that point of the basilar membrane where the signal frequency is closest to the resonance frequency of the contour. The auditory system stores information about the frequency of the sound through the sequence number of the IHC, located in the middle of the general group of cells with an elevated receptor potential (RP). The projection of IHC can be considered as a measuring scale with digitized points. Neurons with excitatory and inhibitory inputs function as logic chips in a computer. The neural network stores information about the audible pitch as a number in binary code in a group of ordered memory neurons. The understanding of main principles of functioning of human auditory system is necessary for improvement of quality of speech perception through Cochlear Implant.

Highlights

At the International Symposium on Hearing (ISH), which was held in 2018 in Snekkersten, Denmark, the special peculiarities of auditory sensations in the perception of complex audio signals and possible ways of helping people with hearing loss [1] were among the main topics of discussion
Zwicker and Feldkeller experimentally measured the width of all the frequency channel (FC) and indicated the central and boundary frequencies for each FC [3]
Each FC consists of 146 inner hair cells (IHC), which are located along the length of the 1.3 mm basilar membrane of the cochlea

Summary

Introduction

At the International Symposium on Hearing (ISH), which was held in 2018 in Snekkersten, Denmark, the special peculiarities of auditory sensations in the perception of complex (multi-frequency) audio signals and possible ways of helping people with hearing loss [1] were among the main topics of discussion. Possible ways of encoding information about the sound signal frequency according to the principle of place or the temporal principle were barely discussed. Most specialists in psychoacoustics deny the possibility of implementing the real frequency resolution of human hearing while encoding information using the principle of place. They assume that the auditory system encodes the frequency information in the frequency range up to 4 kHz according to the temporal principle, and uses the principle of place in the higher frequency range [2]. The auditory system stores information about the frequency of each individual component

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Discussion

Conclusion