Electrically evoked auditory nerve responses fit Gaussian rather than gamma latency distributions

Evidence

4.3 Parametrisation of the CDLD Single-fibre responses to electric pulses (estimated by post-stimulus time histograms) showing a fast rise and a slow decline (van den Honert and Stypulkowski 1984 ; Sly et al. 2007 ) may be modelled best with a gamma function (Versnel et al. 1992b ). However, the distribution of response latencies between fibres may be Gaussian. Therefore, we tested fits of CDLDs with gamma functions and with Gaussian functions, and both in guinea pigs and humans we observed superior fits with Gaussian functions. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2440

Single-fibre responses to electric pulses (estimated by post-stimulus time histograms) showing a fast rise and a slow decline (van den Honert and Stypulkowski 1984 ; Sly et al. 2007 ) may be modelled best with a gamma function (Versnel et al. 1992b ). However, the distribution of response latencies between fibres may be Gaussian. Therefore, we tested fits of CDLDs with gamma functions and with Gaussian functions, and both in guinea pigs and humans we observed superior fits with Gaussian functions. Due to the large population size and assuming that the discharge jitter is smaller within than between fibres, the resulting convolution of the gamma function with the Gaussian distribution could explain the Gaussian-like CDLD. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2435

Categorization

• QUESTION: What produces a Gaussian (rather than skewed gamma) jitter distribution across the entire fibre population? Convolution with between-fibre latency scatter is offered, but the mechanism deserves chasing.
• DEFINE: Clarifies why the compound latency distribution is Gaussian despite individual fibre responses being gamma-shaped — a convolution effect.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2440; Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2435