Bats Are Able to Hear Frequencies of 100,000 Cycles Per

question 6

Multiple Choice

Bats are able to hear frequencies of 100,000 cycles per second. The maximum firing rate of action potentials is a few hundred per second. How is this possible?

• A)Action potentials are not used to transmit auditory information. The output of the sensory neuron to the brain is a graded potential.
• B)The auditory system is special. Its neurons conduct signals very quickly and have no refractory period.
• C)Sound wave frequency information is coded by differences in the location of vibrations along the basilar membrane, not in action potential frequency.