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Science 31 August 1984:
Vol. 225. no. 4665, pp. 951 - 954
DOI: 10.1126/science.6474161
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Articles

Science, Vol 225, Issue 4665, 951-954
Copyright © 1984 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

The goldfish ear codes the axis of acoustic particle motion in three dimensions

RR Fay

Auditory and vestibular nerve fibers of the goldfish are strongly directionally sensitive to whole-body acceleration at audio frequencies. The three-dimensional pattern of sensitivity shows that input from a receptor ensemble (hair cells) is essentially equivalent to that expected from a single hair cell having a given three-dimensional orientation of best sensitivity. Fibers from the sacculus, lagena, and utriculus differ with respect to distributions of directional orientation, but are similar in best threshold (less than 1 nanometer, root mean square, at 140 hertz). In combination with other mechanisms for detection of sound pressure, this directionality is a likely basis for directional hearing in fishes, and it could allow the determination of underwater acoustic intensity.


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