A computational model of the mammalian auditory periphery with a multichannel, energy-driven, medial olivocochlear reflex

Abstract

The afferent auditory system, and how its specialized mechanisms and circuits support ecologically relevant auditory computations such as speech recognition, has received considerable attention in decades past. This work has culminated in accurate computational models of early afferent coding alongside a good understanding of how low-level mechanisms (e.g., peripheral tuning) impact auditory perception. In contrast, the auditory efferent system and its role in auditory perception is much less well understood. To address this gap in knowledge, we describe modifications to a model of the auditory periphery to include a medial olivocochlear efferent pathway that dynamically adjusts cochlear gain in response to sound via the classical medial olivocochlear reflex loop. We show that this model can simulate the effects of contralateral elicitors on auditory-nerve responses, including the effect of elicitors that are tonotopically distant from probes. Inclusion of across-frequency efferent effects necessitated a novel multichannel design.