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The Cochlear Tuning Curve

Marcelo O. Magnasco
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Abstract

The tuning curve of the cochlea measures how large an input is required to elicit a given output level as a function of the frequency. It is a fundamental object of auditory theory, for it summarizes how to infer what a sound was on the basis of the cochlear output. A simple model is presented showing that only two elements are sufficient for establishing the cochlear tuning curve: a broadly tuned traveling wave, moving unidirectionally from high to low frequencies, and a set of mechanosensors poised at the threshold of an oscillatory (Hopf) instability. These two components suffice to generate the various frequency-response regimes which are needed for a cochlear tuning curve with a high slope.

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Marcelo O. Magnasco. 2001-11-29. The Cochlear Tuning Curve. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.90.058101

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