Summed nerve-firing intervals across the basilar membrane reveal the fundamental period

Evidence

Visually it can be seen in Figure 3.11 that if the entries in all these inter-spike interval histograms were added together vertically (i.e., for each firing time interval), then the maximum entry would occur for the period of f0. This is reinforced when it is remembered that all places higher than those shown in the figure would exhibit outputs similar to those shown above the eighth harmonic. Notice how all the places where harmonics are resolved have an entry in their histograms at the fundamental period as a direct result of the fact that nerves may not fire in every cycle. This is the basis on which the temporal theory of pitch perception is thought to function. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 923

Categorization

Category: Causal Relationships

• DEFINE: Explains the mechanism behind the temporal theory — how incomplete nerve firing still encodes f0.

Related

• The fundamental period emerges from pooled nerve firing intervals across all places (similarity 0.94)
• Neurons firing irregularly across harmonics reveal the fundamental period (similarity 0.94)
• Pitch is perceived from firing intervals even when nerves skip cycles (similarity 0.90)
• Nerve firing intervals are integer multiples of the stimulus period (similarity 0.83)
• Pooled neural firing encodes stimulus period as spike intervals. (similarity 0.81)
• Neural information is encoded in the patterning of voltage spikes (similarity 0.81)
• The brainstem may convert interspike intervals directly into firing rates (similarity 0.80)
• Period histograms visualize neural firing synchrony by spike phase (similarity 0.79)
• The dominant interspike interval may be coded as predominant neural firing rate. (similarity 0.78)
• Pitch perception combines place-based and timing-based neural analysis of complex tones (similarity 0.78)
• Neuronal firing thresholds shape which pitch periodicities a system can detect (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Nerve firing intervals are integer multiples of the stimulus period #exemplifies (0.85) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 917