Discharge Patterns of Single Fibers in the Cat's Auditory Nerve

Abstract

The monograph represents a systematic attempt to describe in a quantitative manner the electrophysiological responses in the peripheral auditory nervous system. The purpose of this research was to discover how the mammalian auditory nerve describes sounds by examining the patterns of discharges in sile fibers of the auditory nerve in response to controlled acoustic stimuli. The research itself was conducted on healthy adult cats but should have important bearing on the study of human hearing. In describing their research the authors have followed this general arrangement. First, the methods used in obtaining the results are described; next, the results are presented within a framework that indicates the purpose and significance of each series of experiments; the more general aspects of interpretation are left for the final chapter.