Richard R. Fay – författare

Cochlear implants have instigated a popular but controversial revolution in the treatment of deafness. This book discusses the physiological bases of using artificial devices to electrically stimulate the brain to interpret sounds. As the first successful device to restore neural function, the cochlear implant serves as a model for research in neuroscience and biomedical engineering. These and other auditory prostheses are discussed in the context of historical treatments, engineering, psychophysics and clinical issues as well as implications for speech, behavior, cognition and long-term effects on people.

Electroreception has become one of the most revealing areas in the study of the neural basis of behavior, and neurobiologists recognize it as a model sensory system for experimental study. Through studies of electroreception, researchers have gained extensive knowledge about a complete sensory system, from molecular biology to computation, communication, and behavior. The book Electroreception will examine the behavior, structure, and function of the electrosensory systems of fish and other vertebrates. As a comprehensive volume on the subject, the book will serve as both an introduction to the study of electroreception and a reference and review volume for researchers in related fields.

Although pitch has been considered an important area of auditory research since the birth of modern acoustics in the 19th century, some of the most significant developments in our understanding of this phenomenon have occurred comparatively recently. In auditory physiology, researchers are now identifying cells in the brainstem and cortex that may be involved in the derivation of pitch. In auditory psychophysics, dramatic developments over the last few years have changed our understanding of temporal pitch mechanisms, and of the roles of resolved and unresolved harmonics. Computational modeling has provided new insights into the biological algorithms that may underlie pitch perception. Modern brain imaging techniques have suggested possible cortical locations for pitch mechanisms.

This timely volume brings together the more recent findings, while emphasizing their relation to the discoveries of the past. It brings together insights from several different methodological areas: physiology, psychophysics, comparative, imaging, etc., in addressing a single scientific problem. Pitch perception can be regarded as one of the main problems of hearing, and the multidisciplinary approach of the book provides a valuable reference source for graduate students and academics.

As models for vertebrate auditory systems, amphibians have been the source of extensive, ground-breaking research on hearing, the nervous system and acoustic communication. This comprehensive review covers key issues in amphibian hearing and communication in depth. Topics are relevant to auditory research, neuroethology, herpetology, animal behavior and bioacoustics.

Sounds that are actually produced by healthy ears allow researchers and clinicians to study hearing and cochlear function noninvasively in both animals and humans. This book presents the first serious review of the biological basis of these otoacoustic emissions. Active processes, such as those in hair cells that produce emissions, represent a burgeoning and important area of sensory research. By providing a basis for understanding how and why otoacoustic emissions testing works through a basic understanding of general hearing processes, this volume will also interest clinicians, particularly otolaryngologists and audiologists.