scholarly journals Different Modes of Pitch Perception and Learning-Induced Neuronal Plasticity of the Human Auditory Cortex

2002 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Schulte ◽  
Arne Knief ◽  
Annemarie Seither-Preisler ◽  
Christo Pantev
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Neuronal Plasticity ◽  
Pitch Perception ◽  
Gamma Band ◽  
Base Line ◽  
Band Frequency ◽  
Harmonic Complex ◽  
Fundamental Frequencies ◽  
Complex Tones ◽  
Virtual Pitch

We designed a melody perception experiment involving eight harmonic complex tones of missing fundamental frequencies (hidden auditory object) to study the short-term neuronal plasticity of the auditory cortex. In this experiment, the fundamental frequencies of the complex tones followed the beginning of the virtual melody of the tune “Frère Jacques”. The harmonics of the complex tones were chosen so that the spectral melody had an inverse contour when compared with the virtual one. Evoked magnetic fields were recorded contralaterally to the ear of stimulation from both hemispheres. After a base line measurement, the subjects were exposed repeatedly to the experimental stimuli for 1 hour a day. All subjects reported a sudden change in the perceived melody, indicating possible reorganization of the cortical processes involved in the virtual pitch formation. After this switch in perception, a second measurement was performed. Cortical sources of the evoked gamma-band activity were significantly stronger and located more medially after a switch in perception. Independent Component Analysis revealed enhanced synchronization in the gamma-band frequency range. Comparing the gamma-band activation of both hemispheres, no laterality effects were observed. The results indicate that the primary auditory cortices are involved in the process of virtual pitch perception and that their function is modifiable by laboratory manipulation.

Rabbits use both spectral and temporal cues to discriminate the fundamental frequency of harmonic complexes with missing fundamentals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph D Wagner ◽  
Alice Gelman ◽  
Kenneth E. Hancock ◽  
Yoojin Chung ◽  
Bertrand Delgutte
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
Spectral Composition ◽  
Pitch Perception ◽  
Wide Frequency Range ◽  
Spatial Gradient ◽  
Harmonic Complex ◽  
Complex Tones ◽  
Behavioral Paradigm ◽  
Animal Vocalizations

The pitch of harmonic complex tones (HCT) common in speech, music and animal vocalizations plays a key role in the perceptual organization of sound. Unraveling the neural mechanisms of pitch perception requires animal models but little is known about complex pitch perception by animals, and some species appear to use different pitch mechanisms than humans. Here, we tested rabbits' ability to discriminate the fundamental frequency (F0) of HCTs with missing fundamentals using a behavioral paradigm inspired by foraging behavior in which rabbits learned to harness a spatial gradient in F0 to find the location of a virtual target within a room for a food reward. Rabbits were initially trained to discriminate HCTs with F0s in the range 400-800 Hz and with harmonics covering a wide frequency range (800-16,000 Hz), and then tested with stimuli differing either in spectral composition to test the role of harmonic resolvability (Experiment 1), or in F0 range (Experiment 2), or both F0 and spectral content (Experiment 3). Together, these experiments show that rabbits can discriminate HCTs over a wide F0 range (200-1600 Hz) encompassing the range of conspecific vocalizations, and can use either the spectral pattern of harmonics resolved by the cochlea for higher F0s or temporal envelope cues resulting from interaction between unresolved harmonics for lower F0s. The qualitative similarity of these results to human performance supports using rabbits as an animal model for studies of pitch mechanisms providing species differences in cochlear frequency selectivity and F0 range of vocalizations are taken into account.

Consonance and Dissonance of Musical Chords: Neural Correlates in Auditory Cortex of Monkeys and Humans

2001 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 2761-2788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonatan I. Fishman ◽  
Igor O. Volkov ◽  
M. Daniel Noh ◽  
P. Charles Garell ◽  
Hans Bakken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Current Source ◽  
Intractable Epilepsy ◽  
Auditory Evoked Potential ◽  
Harmonic Complex ◽  
Heschl’S Gyrus ◽  
Complex Tones ◽  
Heschl's Gyrus ◽  
Musical Chords ◽  
Consonance And Dissonance

Some musical chords sound pleasant, or consonant, while others sound unpleasant, or dissonant. Helmholtz's psychoacoustic theory of consonance and dissonance attributes the perception of dissonance to the sensation of “beats” and “roughness” caused by interactions in the auditory periphery between adjacent partials of complex tones comprising a musical chord. Conversely, consonance is characterized by the relative absence of beats and roughness. Physiological studies in monkeys suggest that roughness may be represented in primary auditory cortex (A1) by oscillatory neuronal ensemble responses phase-locked to the amplitude-modulated temporal envelope of complex sounds. However, it remains unknown whether phase-locked responses also underlie the representation of dissonance in auditory cortex. In the present study, responses evoked by musical chords with varying degrees of consonance and dissonance were recorded in A1 of awake macaques and evaluated using auditory-evoked potential (AEP), multiunit activity (MUA), and current-source density (CSD) techniques. In parallel studies, intracranial AEPs evoked by the same musical chords were recorded directly from the auditory cortex of two human subjects undergoing surgical evaluation for medically intractable epilepsy. Chords were composed of two simultaneous harmonic complex tones. The magnitude of oscillatory phase-locked activity in A1 of the monkey correlates with the perceived dissonance of the musical chords. Responses evoked by dissonant chords, such as minor and major seconds, display oscillations phase-locked to the predicted difference frequencies, whereas responses evoked by consonant chords, such as octaves and perfect fifths, display little or no phase-locked activity. AEPs recorded in Heschl's gyrus display strikingly similar oscillatory patterns to those observed in monkey A1, with dissonant chords eliciting greater phase-locked activity than consonant chords. In contrast to recordings in Heschl's gyrus, AEPs recorded in the planum temporale do not display significant phase-locked activity, suggesting functional differentiation of auditory cortical regions in humans. These findings support the relevance of synchronous phase-locked neural ensemble activity in A1 for the physiological representation of sensory dissonance in humans and highlight the merits of complementary monkey/human studies in the investigation of neural substrates underlying auditory perception.

scholarly journals Spectral response patterns of auditory cortex neurons to harmonic complex tones in alert monkey (Macaca mulatta)

1990 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 282-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. Schwarz ◽  
R. W. Tomlinson
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Pure Tone ◽  
Response Pattern ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Neuronal Responses ◽  
Harmonic Complex ◽  
Tuning Curves ◽  
Complex Tones ◽  
Pure Tones

1. The auditory cortex in the superior temporal region of the alert rhesus monkey was explored for neuronal responses to pure and harmonic complex tones and noise. The monkeys had been previously trained to recognize the similarity between harmonic complex tones with and without fundamentals. Because this suggested that they could preceive the pitch of the lacking fundamental similarly to humans, we searched for neuronal responses relevant to this perception. 2. Combination-sensitive neurons that might explain pitch perception were not found in the surveyed cortical regions. Such neurons would exhibit similar responses to stimuli with similar periodicities but differing spectral compositions. The fact that no neuron with responses to a fundamental frequency responded also to a corresponding harmonic complex missing the fundamental indicates that cochlear distortion products at the fundamental may not have been responsible for missing fundamental-pitch perception in these monkeys. 3. Neuronal responses can be expressed as relatively simple filter functions. Neurons with excitatory response areas (tuning curves) displayed various inhibitory sidebands at lower and/or higher frequencies. Thus responses varied along a continuum of combined excitatory and inhibitory filter functions. 4. Five elementary response classes along this continuum are presented to illustrate the range of response patterns. 5. “Filter (F) neurons” had little or no inhibitory sidebands and responded well when any component of a complex tone entered its pure-tone receptive field. Bandwidths increased with intensity. Filter functions of these neurons were thus similar to cochlear nerve-fiber tuning curves. 6. ”High-resolution filter (HRF) neurons” displayed narrow tuning curves with narrowband widths that displayed little growth with intensity. Such cells were able to resolve up to the lowest seven components of harmonic complex tones as distinct responses. They also responded well to wideband stimuli. 7. “Fundamental (F0) neurons” displayed similar tuning bandwidths for pure tones and corresponding fundamentals of harmonic complexes. This response pattern was due to lower harmonic complexes. This response pattern was due to lower inhibitory sidebands. Thus these cells cannot respond to missing fundamentals of harmonic complexes. Only physically present components in the pure-tone receptive field would excite such neurons. 8. Cells with no or very weak responses to pure tones or other narrowband stimuli responded well to harmonic complexes or wideband noise.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Perception of Iterated Rippled Noise Periodicity in Cochlear Implant Users

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luise Wagner ◽  
Stefan K. Plontke ◽  
Torsten Rahne
Keyword(s):  
Objective Measure ◽  
Difference Limen ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Pitch Perception ◽  
Harmonic Complex ◽  
Pitch Matching ◽  
Complex Tones ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Single Sided Deafness ◽  
Onset Response

Pitch perception is more challenging for individuals with cochlear implants (CIs) than normal-hearing subjects because the signal processing by CIs is restricted. Processing and perceiving the periodicity of signals may contribute to pitch perception. Whether individuals with CIs can discern pitch within an iterated rippled noise (IRN) signal is still unclear. In a prospective controlled psychoacoustic study with 34 CI users and 15 normal-hearing control subjects, the difference limen between IRN signals with different numbers of iterations was measured. In 7 CI users and 15 normal-hearing control listeners with single-sided deafness, pitch matching between IRN and harmonic complex tones was measured. The pitch onset response (POR) following signal changes from white noise to IRN was measured electrophysiologically. The CI users could discriminate different numbers of iteration in IRN signals, but worse than normal-hearing listeners. A POR was measured for both normal-hearing subjects and CI users increasing with the pitch salience of the IRN. This indicates that the POR could serve as an objective measure to monitor progress during audioverbal therapy after CI surgery.

Roughness of Two Simultaneous Harmonic Complex Tones On Just-Tempered and Equal-Tempered Scales

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-143
Author(s):  
Václav Vencovský ◽  
František Rund
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Basilar Membrane ◽  
Auditory Periphery ◽  
Harmonic Complex ◽  
Phase Fluctuations ◽  
Fundamental Frequencies ◽  
Spectral Components ◽  
Complex Tones ◽  
Si Model ◽  
Possible Cause

This study is focused on the perceived roughness of two simultaneous harmonic complex tones with ratios between their fundamental frequencies set to create intervals on just-tempered (JT) and equal-tempered (ET) scales. According to roughness theories, ET intervals should produce more roughness. However, previous studies have shown the opposite for intervals in which the lower fundamental frequency of the complex was equal to 261.6 Hz. The aim of this study is to verify and explain these results by using intervals composed of complexes whose spectral components were generated with either a sine starting phase or with a random starting phase. Results of the current study showed the same phenomenon as previous studies. To examine whether the explanation of the phenomenon lies in the function of the peripheral ear, three roughness models based upon this function were used: the Daniel and Weber (1997) model, the synchronization index (SI) model, and the model based on a hydrodynamic cochlear model. For most of the corresponding JT and ET intervals, only the Daniel and Weber (1997) model predicted less roughness in the ET intervals. In addition to this, the intervals were analyzed by a model simulating the auditory periphery. The results showed that a possible cause for the roughness differences may be in the frequencies of fluctuations of the signal in the peripheral ear. For JT intervals the fluctuations in the adjacent places on the simulated basilar membrane had either the same frequency or integer multiples of that frequency and were synchronized. Since a previous study showed that synchronized fluctuations in adjacent auditory filters lead to higher roughness than out of phase fluctuations (Terhardt, 1974), this may cause more roughness across JT and ET intervals.

Pitch vs. spectral encoding of harmonic complex tones in primary auditory cortex of the awake monkey

1998 ◽  
Vol 786 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 18-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonatan I. Fishman ◽  
David H. Reser ◽  
Joseph C. Arezzo ◽  
Mitchell Steinschneider
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Primary Auditory Cortex ◽  
Harmonic Complex ◽  
Awake Monkey ◽  
Spectral Encoding ◽  
Complex Tones

Pitch Perception of Medium-Rank Harmonic Complex Tones Based on Temporal Analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 860-863 ◽  
pp. 2924-2928
Author(s):  
Jian Wang ◽  
Tian Guan ◽  
Da Tian Ye
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Peak Height ◽  
Frequency Region ◽  
Complex Tone ◽  
Temporal Fine Structure ◽  
Harmonic Complex ◽  
Structure Information ◽  
Fundamental Frequencies ◽  
Complex Tones ◽  
Phase Combination

Fundamental frequency difference limens were measured for a target harmonic complex tone (HCT) in the absence and presence of a masker HCT, which were filtered into the same bandpass frequency region and were gated on and off synchronously. There were three kinds of nominal fundamental frequencies (F0s) for target (200, 400, and 800 Hz), five kinds of F0 separations between target and masker (0, ±3, and ±6 semitones), and four kinds of phase combinations. Results found significant effects of nominal F0, phase combination, and F0 separation between target and masker. Analysis based on temporal profile proved that the significant effect of nominal F0 could be explained by peak height of target, and that the significant effects of F0 separation and phase combination could be explained by the ratio of temporal peak heights between target and masker. Thus it is suggested that F0 discrimination of medium-rank harmonics probably depends on the use of temporal fine structure information.

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