RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FREQUENCY-TUNING AND SPATIAL-TUNING CURVES IN THE MAMMALIAN COCHLEA

The tuning curve of a single auditory-nerve fiber is a measure of the intensity levels producing that fiber's threshold response at each of a number of frequencies. For many purposes it is desirable to know coc hlear responses as a function of cochlear location (spatial distance f rom the stapes). Using assumptions of uniformity, the relationships be tween auditory-nerve-fiber frequency-tuning curves, basilar-membrane f requency-response curves, and basilar-membrane spatial-response curves are obtained. From the spatial-response characteristics which are the n inferred from neural frequency-tuning curves, it appears that the tu ning properties of the apical cochlea are fairly uniform and differ fr om the tuning properties of the basal cochlea. (C) 1996 Acoustical Soc iety of America.