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ABR frequency tuning curves in dolphins

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Abstract

Tone-tone masking was used to determine auditory brain-stem response tuning curves in dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in a simultaneous-masking paradigm. The Q 10 of the curves was as large as 16–19 in the frequency range 64–128 kHz. In the range 45–16 kHz, Q 10 decreased proportionally to the frequency with the bandwidth of the curves being constant, about 3.5–4 kHz at the 10-dB level. Tuning curves below 45 kHz are supposed to reflect broad spectral bandwidth of the probe's effective part which is no longer than 0.5 ms, irrespective of actual probe duration. Tuning curves above 64 kHz are supposed to reflect the real frequency tuning of the dolphin's auditory system.

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Abbreviations

ABR:

auditory brain stem response

AP:

action potential

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Evolutionary Morphology and Ecology of Animals, Russian Academy of Sciences, 33 Leninsky Prosp., 117071, Moscow, Russia

    A. Y. Supin, V. V. Popov & V. O. Klishin

Authors
  1. A. Y. Supin
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  2. V. V. Popov
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  3. V. O. Klishin
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Supin, A.Y., Popov, V.V. & Klishin, V.O. ABR frequency tuning curves in dolphins. J Comp Physiol A 173, 649–656 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00197772

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