Physiologically inspired signal preprocessing for auditory prostheses: Insights from the electro-motility of the OHC

Abstract 

We designed a non-linear functional model of the outer hair cell (OHC) functioning in the filtering system of the cochlea and then isolated from it two second-order structures, one employing the mechanism of the somatic motility and the other the hair bundle motion of the OHC. The investigation of these circuits showed that the main mechanism increasing the sensitivity and frequency selectivity of the filtering system is the somatic motility. The mechanism of the active hair bundle motion appeared less suitable for realization of the band-pass filtering structures due to the dependence of the sensitivity, natural frequency and selectivity on the signal intensity.

We combined three second-order filtering structures employing the mechanism of the somatic motility and the lateral inhibition to form a parallel-type filtering channel of the sixth order with the frequency characteristics of the Butterworth-type and Gaussian-type. The investigation of these channels showed that the Gaussian-type channel has the advantage over the Butterworth-type channel. It is more suitable for realization of a filter bank with common lateral circuits and has less distorted frequency characteristic in the nonlinear mode.

Abbreviations: OHC, outer hair cell, IHC, inner hair cell, BM, basilar membrane, TM, tectorial membrane, MET, mechanical–electrical transduction, EMT, electrical–mechanical transduction, BPC, band pass circuit, LPC, low-pass circuit, AC, alternating component, DC, direct component, RL, reticular lamina

Keywords: Cochlea, Outer hair cells, Somatic motility, Hair bundle motion, Nonlinear signal processing, Auditory prostheses