The cochlea may regulate gain slowly rather than compress sound instantly
Evidence
The extent to which a compressive input-output relation holds when the intensity of a stimulus fluctuates in time has not been studied systematically, however, and the possibility that the cochlea operates more like an automatic gain control (AGC) system than an instantaneously nonlinear system remains feasible (van der Heijden 2005 ). — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3628
Categorization
- QUESTION: Whether the cochlea processes intensity changes as an AGC with delay, or instantaneously, is the open question this whole chapter answers.
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3628
- XREF: connects to: The cochlea compresses a 100 dB input range into about 57 dB of response.; The MOCR reduces channel compression when the opposite ear’s output rises; Brain efferents can dynamically adjust cochlear gain during listening (+8 more)
Broader Connections
- Cochlear gain control lags stimulus envelope changes by a fixed ~50 μs delay
#contradicts(0.85) - Faster-fluctuating sounds trigger less cochlear compression, trading sensitivity for better dynamic encoding
#complicates(0.78) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3637 - Cochlear compression shows hysteresis with faster attack than decay at high modulation rates.
#complicates(0.75)