"Auditory Biomimetics: A Modeling Study of Temporal Processing in the Auditory System"
ABSTRACT
Signal processing algorithms for temporal auditory processing were developed to simulate many aspects of the biological processing in a computationally efficient form. Software modules were created for various segments of the auditory system and interconnected to create models for two auditory pathways. The first pathway is a binaural localization pathway from the auditory periphery to the Medial Superior Olive (MSO). The second is a sound identification pathway through the Central nucleus of the Inferior Colliculus (ICC) which extracts periodicity information for cues related to sound identity such as pitch. Models were first developed as deterministic filters and mathematical functions; models were then altered to incorporate the generation of spikes and discrete event-based processing. The project was developed in four stages; characterization of peripheral auditory models including models for the cochlea and auditory nerve, characterization of spike generation models, development of a model for the MSO pathway, and development of a model for the ICC pathway.