Single unit analysis of the posteroventral cochlear nucleus of the decerebrate cat

Activity-intensity functions for primary-like, chopper and onset-ex units showed monotonie increases with increases in stimulus intensity. Activity-intensity functions for onset-in units were non-monotonic. Latency-intensity functions for primary-like, chopper and onset-ex units exhibited monotonie decreases with increases in intensity. Latency-intensity functions for onset-in units were non-monotonic. In contrast to primary-like, chopper and onset-ex units, onset-in units do not retain the intensity and temporal information coded in the eighth nerve, as least for stimuli above 2 kilohertz. It is hypothesized that a depolarization block, caused by the massive eighth nerve input to octopus cells, is responsible for the inhibition observed from onset-in units.