A computer model of auditory efferent suppression: implications for the recognition of speech in noise.

The neural mechanisms underlying the ability of human listeners to recognize speech in the presence of background noise are still imperfectly understood. However, there is mounting evidence that the medial olivocochlear system plays an important role, via efferents that exert a suppressive effect on the response of the basilar membrane. The current paper presents a computer modeling study that investigates the possible role of this activity on speech intelligibility in noise.

A computer model of medial efferent suppression in the mammalian auditory system.

Stimulation of the olivocochlear bundle reduces basilar membrane displacement, driven auditory nerve activity, and compound action potential (CAP) response to acoustic stimulation. These effects were simulated using a computer model of the auditory periphery. The model simulates the medial efferent activity by attenuating the basilar membrane response.