The Patterns of Response in the Cochlea

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Abstract
The electrical potentials produced in the cochlea when the ear is stimulated with sound are proportional to the sound pressure up to a limiting level, and thereafter show distortion of increasing degree. These expts. trace the intensity functions for the guinea-pig ear, using numerous frequencies working with particular care in the region of distortion. For all the low tones, from 100 to 700 or 1000 cycles, the levels of response are much the same when distortion begins, and again when a max. response is attained. For the higher tones these points are reached at a level of response that grows progressively smaller as the frequency is raised. For the uppermost tones, beyond 10,000 cycles, a true maximum is no longer found, but as the intensity is increased the response continues to rise until the ear is damaged. Results obtained before and after over-stimulation of the ear show that no tone at practical intensities makes use of all the cochlear resources, because certain sensory elements are stimulated so strongly relative to others that they become damaged before the others are fully involved.