Forward masking in the inferior colliculus: Dynamics of discharge-rate recovery after narrowband noise maskers

Abstract

In forward masking, the detection threshold for a target sound (probe) is elevated due to the presence of a preceding sound (masker). Although many factors are known to influence the probe response following a masker, the current work focused on the temporal separation (delay) between the masker and probe and the inter-trial interval (ITI). Human probe thresholds recover from forward masking within 150-300 ms, similar to neural threshold recovery in the inferior colliculus (IC) within 300 ms after tone maskers. Our study focused on the recovery of discharge rate of IC neurons in response to probe tones after narrowband Gaussian noise (GN) forward maskers, with varying time delays. Additionally, we examined how prior masker trials influenced IC rates by varying ITI. Previous masker trials affected probe-evoked discharge rates, with full recovery requiring ITIs over 1.5 s after 70 dB SPL narrowband GN maskers. Neural thresholds in the IC for probes preceded by noise maskers were in the range observed in psychoacoustical studies. Two proposed mechanisms for forward masking, persistence, and efferent gain control, were tested using rate analyses or computational modeling. A physiological model with efferent feedback gain control had responses consistent with trends in the physiological recordings.