High-resolution frequency tuning but not temporal coding in the human cochlea

Abstract

Frequency tuning and phase-locking are two fundamental properties generated in the cochlea, enabling but also limiting the coding of sounds by the auditory nerve (AN). In humans, these limits are unknown, but high resolution has been postulated for both properties. Electrophysiological recordings from the AN of normal-hearing volunteers indicate that human frequency tuning, but not phase-locking, exceeds the resolution observed in animal models.