Computer models of auditory inner hair cells and cochlear nucleus stellate cells

This thesis presents five, separate but interlinked, studies of computer models of cells in the mammalian auditory system. The first study presents a comparative evaluation of eight computer models of inner hair cell function. The models simulate the release of a chemical transmitter substance from the base of a hair cell in response to sound stimulation. The simulations take the form of differential equations which are evaluated 20,000 times per second of simulated events. The models were evaluated in terms of their agreement with physiological data and their computational efficiency. [Continues.