A proposed neural mechanism underlying auditory continuity illusions

J Acoust Soc Am. 2010 Jul;128(1):EL20-5. doi: 10.1121/1.3443568.

Abstract

A numerical thought experiment was conducted to assess whether stimulus-specific, short-term changes in auditory neural responsiveness could explain the formation of auditory objects underlying the auditory continuity illusion. A tonotopic, two-layer feedforward network model with one time constant for synaptic weight augmentation based on firing rate, and an independent time constant for synaptic weight decay was presented with classical continuity illusion stimuli. The results suggest that the continuity illusion could, in principle, be explained by basic, duration-dependent auditory circuit behavior, which could emerge at either early or later stages of processing.

MeSH terms

  • Acoustic Stimulation
  • Audiometry, Pure-Tone
  • Auditory Pathways / physiology*
  • Auditory Perception*
  • Computer Simulation*
  • Humans
  • Illusions*
  • Models, Neurological*
  • Neuronal Plasticity
  • Perceptual Masking
  • Signal Detection, Psychological
  • Sound Spectrography
  • Synaptic Transmission
  • Time Factors