A comparison of different methods to assess phase-locking in auditory neurons

Proposes a method to reconstruct acoustic signals from auditory nerve firings. This is a major step in order to improve cochlear implants by demonstrating what patients perceive with such a device. A computer model of the human cochlea transforms an acoustic test signal into a train of impulses, and the place- and volley-principle of cochlear frequency coding will be evaluated in order to invert this process, i.e. to reconstruct the original signal from the impulses. Phase-locking of the impulses to an acoustic stimulus is believed to be the main information carrier of loudness and frequency in the cochlea. Four different synchronization indices, which are used to assess phase-locking in the sensory receptor cells of the ear, will be presented and compared.