Masking-period patterns produced by very-low-frequency maskers and their possible relation to basilar-membrane displacement

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Abstract
By using masking-period patterns (MPP), produced by sinusoidal and impulsive maskers with very-low frequency components, it was demonstrated for man that the basilar membrane seemed to move in phase for low sinusoids and preserves the waveform for nonsinusoids with low-frequency spectrum within the 2 basal turns of the cochlea. The shape of a MPP was strongly correlated to the 2nd derivative of the time function of the sound pressure at the eardrum for frequencies below 40 Hz, but to the 1st derivative for frequencies above 40 Hz. This was presumably due to the form of the cross section of the cochlea and the size of the helicotrema in man. Data of many MPP were shown and discussed with patterns given in former papers on a qualitative and a quantitative level, leading to the following proposal: the higher peak in MPP belongs to a kind of suppression which would correspond to the displacement of the basilar membrane towards scala tympani, while the lower peak in MPP belongs to the excitation which would correspond to the displacement of the basilar membrane towards scala vestibuli.

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