Effect of masker frequency on N1m amplitude in forward masking.

ABSTRACT

The effect of frequency on N1m has been investigated by various methods. However, it has not yet been measured using forward masking. In this study, the frequency specificity of N1m was investigated using forward masking. Although the masker frequency had some influence on N1m amplitudes, the results suggested that the frequency specificity of N1m was worse than that of a single-neuron or psychological tuning curve. This is probably because N1m includes various components, both frequency-specific and non-specific, some of which may be less affected by masking. Thus, our results agree with those of previous studies using intervening tones that suggested widespread neural representation in the auditory cortex.