Neural Interspike Intervals and Pitch

Abstract

In a recent paper, Whitfield [1979] reported that time intervals between successive nerve impulses were not necessarily a correlate of pitch. This conclusion was reached by considering harmonics outside the dominant region for pitch perception [Ritsma, 1967]. The pitches perceived by Whitfield's subjects can be predicted from the harmonics present in the dominant region, and time intervals corresponding to those pitches would have been present in nerve fibres with characteristic frequencies close to that region.

Key Words:

• Periodicity pitch
• Auditory nerve