Two-tone suppression of basilar membrane vibrations in the base of the guinea pig cochlea using 'low-side' suppressors

C. Daniel Geisler, Alfred L. Nuttall

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

47 Scopus citations

Abstract

The responses of the basilar membrane (BM) in the basal section of the guinea pig cochlea were measured by laser interferometry. The stimuli were pairs of harmonically related tones, presented simultaneously. One tone, at the BM's characteristic frequency (CF) of about 17 kHz, was presented at a low intensity. The other tone, presented at various intensities, was a 'low- side' suppressor, with a frequency of 0.2-8 kHz. As observed by many others, the suppressor tone, when presented at high enough intensity, reduced the magnitude of the CF component of BM displacement, sometimes dramatically. However, regardless of whether the CF component was suppressed or not, the sum of the displacement amplitudes of the CF and suppressor components was always greater than the displacement amplitude of the unsuppressed CF component. For suppressor frequencies up to 4 kHz, the suppression was both tonic and phasic, and synchronized to the suppressor period. For higher suppressor frequencies, principally tonic suppression was seen.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)430-440
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of the Acoustical Society of America
Volume102
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1997

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Acoustics and Ultrasonics

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