COCHLEAR MECHANICS AND NEURAL ENCODING

这项拟议的工作旨在导致一个全面的数学 耳蜗机能模型可包括：1)主动性和 非线性耳蜗力学现象；2)棘波依赖的恢复 现象；以及3)耗竭和其他耳内适应现象。 提出的耳蜗力学模型将包括主动式和主动式 (但线性)机构和非线性(但被动)机构， 结合内耳和中耳的统一二维模型。 依赖于峰值的恢复效应将使用马尔科夫链进行研究 由Gaumond介绍的模型，他展示了听觉的概率 神经棘波放电可以准确地表示为 仅自上次峰值以来的时间函数，乘以 仅限刺激。利用随机点过程对这一工作的推广 概念将提供改进的方法来估计尖峰依赖 以及影响尖峰放电的刺激依赖因素。 提出的实验将强调对听神经放电的研究。 在沙鼠里。这些研究的目标是：1)证明 对于沙土鼠而言，传播互调失真的存在 2)对Gaumond的恢复校正方法进行了评价 在各种刺激条件下可见大量神经纤维； 3)获得激励条件下的激励函数估计(EFE) 旨在检验机械模型和转导模型的预测。 这项工作应有助于为集成提供一个概念性框架 直接和非侵入性研究的实验结果 耳蜗骨。提高了我们对机制和 耳蜗的编码功能应有助于为 外周听觉功能障碍的特征，并为设计 假肢和助听器。 神经棘波分析的新方法的发展，附带 这项建议的主要目标应证明对其他人有价值 听觉系统的研究人员，也可能适用于 神经系统的其他部分。

The work proposed is intended to lead toward a comprehensive mathematical model for cochlear function that can include the effects of: 1) active and nonlinear cochlear mechanical phenomena; 2) spike-dependent recovery phenomena; and 3) depletion and other intra-cochlear adaptation phenomena. The cochlear mechanical modeling proposed would include both the active (but linear) mechanisms and the nonlinear (but passive) mechanisms, combined within a unified two-dimensional cochlea and middle ear model. Spike-dependent recovery effects would be studied using a Markov Chain model introduced by Gaumond, who showed that the probability of an auditory nerve spike discharge could be accurately represented as the product of a function of time since last spike only, multiplied by a function of stimulus only. Extensions to this work using stochastic point process concepts will provide improved methods for estimating the spike-dependent and stimulus-dependent factors affecting spike discharges. Experiments proposed would emphasize the study of auditory nerve discharges in the gerbil. Objectives of these studies would be: 1) to demonstrate for the gerbil the existence of propagating intermodulation distortion signals; 2) to evaluate the recovery-correction method of Gaumond for a large number of nerve fibers under a wide range of stimulus conditions; and 3) to obtain Excitation Function Estimates (EFE) under stimulus conditions intended to test the predictions of mechanical and transduction models. This work should help to provide a conceptual framework for the integration of experimental findings from direct as well as non-invasive studies of the cochlea. Improvements in our understanding of the mechanisms and the encoding function of the cochlea should help to provide a firmer basis for the characterization of peripheral auditory misfunction, and for the design of prosthetic devices and hearing aids. Development of new methods for nerve spike analysis, incidental to the primary objectives of this proposal, should prove valuable to other researchers of the auditory system and may also be applicable to studies of other parts of the nervous system.