[Spontaneous activity in the single auditory nerve fiber in the pigeon].

Microelectrode study of spontaneous activity of the pigeon's single auditory nerve fibers and their interval histograms shows in some of them rhythmic oscillations of excitability with characteristic frequency. The existence of these oscillations is supported by the analysis of interval histograms and autocorrelation functions of spontaneous discharges. Stimulation of these fibers with white noise caused no changes of the periodicity of interval histograms and had no effect on their periods. These characteristics of single fibers could be attributed to rhythmic oscillations of the MP of hair cells arising as a result of the mechanical narrow-band filtration of ambient noises at the basilar membrane.