Auditory brainstem response parameters in big brown bats are insensitive to echo glint structure

Abstract

Echolocating big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) perceive a target's reflecting parts, or glints, from spectral peaks and nulls in echoes. Glints serve as cues for object size and shape. In this exploratory study, we investigated whether the scalp-recorded auditory brainstem response (ABR) carries information about glints. We show that ABR amplitude, latency, and root mean square energy do not differentiate between glints in a manner paralleling the bat's perception. ABR recordings, even though they encode some perceptually relevant features of echoes, may not be sensitive enough to distinguish these more subtle cues.