A toy model for the auditory system that exploits stochastic resonance

Abstract

The transduction process that occurs in the inner ear of the auditory system is a complex mechanism which requires a non-linear dynamical description. In addition to this, the stochastic phenomena that naturally arise in the inner ear during the transduction of an external sound into an electro-chemical signal must also be taken into account. The presence of noise is usually undesirable, but in non-linear systems a moderate amount of noise can improve the system's performance and increase the signal-to-noise ratio. The phenomenon of stochastic resonance combines randomness with non-linearity and is a natural candidate to explain at least part of the hearing process which is observed in the inner ear. In this work, we present a toy model of the auditory system which shows how stochastic resonance can be instrumental to sound perception, and suggests an explanation of the frequency dependence of the hearing threshold.

Stochastic and parameter analysis for an integrative cancer model

“…That is: the presence of an optimal level of noise or fluctuation can enhance, for example, the stability of the system [13][14][15][16]. SR is studied in several fields such as biology [17], chemistry [18], physics [19], etc. It is worth to mention that in a biological or ecological context, fluctuations can prevent the extinction of a given population [13,20,21] or accelerate its dynamics [22,23].…”