Mechanisms underlying intensity-dependent changes in cortical selectivity for frequency-modulated sweeps

2012 ◽  
Vol 107 (8) ◽  
pp. 2202-2211 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. A. Razak
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Tuning Curve ◽  
Sound Intensity ◽  
Sweep Rate ◽  
Echolocation Calls ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Neural Selectivity ◽  
Pallid Bat

Frequency-modulated (FM) sweeps are common components of species-specific vocalizations. The intensity of FM sweeps can cover a wide range in the natural environment, but whether intensity affects neural selectivity for FM sweeps is unclear. Bats, such as the pallid bat, which use FM sweeps for echolocation, are suited to address this issue, because the intensity of echoes will vary with target distance. In this study, FM sweep rate selectivity of pallid bat auditory cortex neurons was measured using downward sweeps at different intensities. Neurons became more selective for FM sweep rates present in the bat's echolocation calls as intensity increased. Increased selectivity resulted from stronger inhibition of responses to slower sweep rates. The timing and bandwidth of inhibition generated by frequencies on the high side of the excitatory tuning curve [sideband high-frequency inhibition (HFI)] shape rate selectivity in cortical neurons in the pallid bat. To determine whether intensity-dependent changes in FM rate selectivity were due to altered inhibition, the timing and bandwidth of HFI were quantified at multiple intensities using the two-tone inhibition paradigm. HFI arrived faster relative to excitation as sound intensity increased. The bandwidth of HFI also increased with intensity. The changes in HFI predicted intensity-dependent changes in FM rate selectivity. These data suggest that neural selectivity for a sweep parameter is not static but shifts with intensity due to changes in properties of sideband inhibition.

Neural Mechanisms Underlying Selectivity for the Rate and Direction of Frequency-Modulated Sweeps in the Auditory Cortex of the Pallid Bat

2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 1303-1319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaleel A. Razak ◽  
Zoltan M. Fuzessery
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Arrival Time ◽  
Narrow Band ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Sweep Rate ◽  
Direction Selectivity ◽  
Pallid Bats ◽  
Pallid Bat

Frequency-modulated (FM) sweeps are common in vocalizations, including human speech. Selectivity for FM sweep rate and direction is present in the auditory cortex of many species. The present study sought to determine the mechanisms underlying FM sweep selectivity in the auditory cortex of pallid bats. In the pallid bat inferior colliculus (IC), two mechanisms underlie selectivity for FM sweep rate. The first mechanism depends on duration tuning for tones that arises as a consequence of early inhibition generated by an excitatory tone. The second mechanism depends on a narrow band of delayed high-frequency inhibition. Direction selectivity depends on a broad band of early low-frequency inhibition. Here, the contributions of these mechanisms to cortical FM sweep selectivity were determined in pentobarbital-anesthetized pallid bats. We show that the majority of cortical neurons tuned to echolocation frequencies are selective for the downward direction and rate of FM sweeps. Unlike in IC neurons tuned in the echolocation range, duration tuning is rare in cortical neurons with similar tuning. As in the IC, consistent spectrotemporal differences exist between low- and high-frequency sidebands. A narrow band of delayed high-frequency inhibition is necessary for FM rate selectivity. Low-frequency inhibition has a broad bandwidth, early arrival time, and creates direction selectivity. Cortical neurons respond better to slower FM rates and exhibit broader rate tuning than IC neurons. Relative arrival time of high-frequency inhibition is slower in the cortex than in the IC. Thus whereas similar mechanisms shape direction selectivity of neurons tuned in the echolocation range in the IC and the cortex, only one of the two mechanisms underlying rate selectivity in the IC is present in the cortex.

Neural Mechanisms Underlying Selectivity for the Rate and Direction of Frequency-Modulated Sweeps in the Inferior Colliculus of the Pallid Bat

2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 1320-1336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltan M. Fuzessery ◽  
Marlin D. Richardson ◽  
Michael S. Coburn
Keyword(s):  
Inferior Colliculus ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Tuning Curve ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Shape Selectivity ◽  
Similar Rate ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Sweep Direction ◽  
Pallid Bat

This study describes mechanisms that underlie neuronal selectivity for the direction and rate of frequency-modulated sweeps in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) of the pallid bat ( Antrozous pallidus). This ICC contains a high percentage of neurons (66%) that respond selectively to the downward sweep direction of the bat's echolocation pulse. Some (19%) are specialists that respond only to downward sweeps. Most neurons (83%) are also tuned to sweep rates. A two-tone inhibition paradigm was used to describe inhibitory mechanisms that shape selectivity for sweep direction and rate. Two different mechanisms can create similar rate tuning. The first is an early on-best frequency inhibition that shapes duration tuning, which in turn determines rate tuning. In most neurons that are not duration tuned, a delayed high-frequency inhibition creates rate tuning. These neurons respond to fast sweep rates, but are inhibited as rate slows, and delayed inhibition overlaps excitation. In these neurons, starting a downward sweep within the excitatory tuning curve eliminates rate tuning. However, if rate tuning is shaped by duration tuning, this manipulation has no effect. Selectivity for the downward sweep direction is created by an early low-frequency inhibition that prevents responses to upward sweeps. In addition to this asymmetry in arrival times of low- and high-frequency inhibitions, the bandwidth of the low-frequency sideband was broader. Bandwidth influences the arrival time of inhibition during an FM sweep because a broader sideband will be encountered sooner. These findings show that similar spectrotemporal filters can be created by different mechanisms.

scholarly journals Correlated evolution between hearing sensitivity and social calls in bats

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 561-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten M Bohn ◽  
Cynthia F Moss ◽  
Gerald S Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Correlated Evolution ◽  
Echolocation Calls ◽  
Hearing Sensitivity ◽  
Social Calls ◽  
Frequency Components ◽  
Reproductive Rates ◽  
Species Specific

Echolocating bats are auditory specialists, with exquisite hearing that spans several octaves. In the ultrasonic range, bat audiograms typically show highest sensitivity in the spectral region of their species-specific echolocation calls. Well-developed hearing in the audible range has been commonly attributed to a need to detect sounds produced by prey. However, bat pups often emit isolation calls with low-frequency components that facilitate mother–young reunions. In this study, we examine whether low-frequency hearing in bats exhibits correlated evolution with (i) body size; (ii) high-frequency hearing sensitivity or (iii) pup isolation call frequency. Using published audiograms, we found that low-frequency hearing sensitivity is not dependent on body size but is related to high-frequency hearing. After controlling for high-frequency hearing, we found that low-frequency hearing exhibits correlated evolution with isolation call frequency. We infer that detection and discrimination of isolation calls have favoured enhanced low-frequency hearing because accurate parental investment is critical: bats have low reproductive rates, non-volant altricial young and must often identify their pups within large crèches.

scholarly journals Earless toads sense low frequencies but miss the high notes

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1864) ◽  
pp. 20171670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly C. Womack ◽  
Jakob Christensen-Dalsgaard ◽  
Luis A. Coloma ◽  
Juan C. Chaparro ◽  
Kim L. Hoke
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Species Differences ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Hearing Sensitivity ◽  
Sensory Pathways ◽  
Airborne Sound ◽  
Vibrational Sensitivity ◽  
Species Specific

Sensory losses or reductions are frequently attributed to relaxed selection. However, anuran species have lost tympanic middle ears many times, despite anurans' use of acoustic communication and the benefit of middle ears for hearing airborne sound. Here we determine whether pre-existing alternative sensory pathways enable anurans lacking tympanic middle ears (termed earless anurans) to hear airborne sound as well as eared species or to better sense vibrations in the environment. We used auditory brainstem recordings to compare hearing and vibrational sensitivity among 10 species (six eared, four earless) within the Neotropical true toad family (Bufonidae). We found that species lacking middle ears are less sensitive to high-frequency sounds, however, low-frequency hearing and vibrational sensitivity are equivalent between eared and earless species. Furthermore, extratympanic hearing sensitivity varies among earless species, highlighting potential species differences in extratympanic hearing mechanisms. We argue that ancestral bufonids may have sufficient extratympanic hearing and vibrational sensitivity such that earless lineages tolerated the loss of high frequency hearing sensitivity by adopting species-specific behavioural strategies to detect conspecifics, predators and prey.

scholarly journals Assessing evidence for adaptive evolution in two hearing-related genes important for high-frequency hearing in echolocating mammals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Wang ◽  
Hanbo Zhao ◽  
Yujia Chu ◽  
Jiang Feng ◽  
Keping Sun
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Evolution ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Outer Hair Cells ◽  
Functional Domain ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Different Parts

Abstract High-frequency hearing is particularly important for echolocating bats and toothed whales. Previously, studies of the hearing-related genes Prestin, KCNQ4, and TMC1 documented that adaptive evolution of high-frequency hearing has taken place in echolocating bats and toothed whales. In this study, we present two additional candidate hearing-related genes, Shh and SK2, that may also have contributed to the evolution of echolocation in mammals. Shh is a member of the vertebrate Hedgehog gene family and is required in the specification of the mammalian cochlea. SK2 is expressed in both inner and outer hair cells, and it plays an important role in the auditory system. The coding region sequences of Shh and SK2 were obtained from a wide range of mammals with and without echolocating ability. The topologies of phylogenetic trees constructed using Shh and SK2 were different; however, multiple molecular evolutionary analyses showed that those two genes experienced different selective pressures in echolocating bats and toothed whales compared to non-echolocating mammals. In addition, several nominally significant positively selected sites were detected in the non-functional domain of the SK2 gene, indicating that different selective pressures were acting on different parts of the SK2 gene. This study has expanded our knowledge of the adaptive evolution of high-frequency hearing in echolocating mammals.

Parasites in Antarctic krill guts inferred from DNA sequences

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison C. Cleary ◽  
Maria C. Casas ◽  
Edward G. Durbin ◽  
Jaime Gómez-Gutiérrez
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequences ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Antarctic Krill ◽  
Euphausia Superba ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
The West ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractThe keystone role of Antarctic krill,Euphausia superbaDana, in Southern Ocean ecosystems, means it is essential to understand the factors controlling their abundance and secondary production. One such factor that remains poorly known is the role of parasites. A recent study of krill diet using DNA analysis of gut contents provided a snapshot of the parasites present within 170E. superbaguts in a small area along the West Antarctic Peninsula. These parasites includedMetschnikowiaspp. fungi,Haptoglossasp. peronosporomycetes,LankesteriaandParalecudinaspp. apicomplexa,Stegophorussp. nematodes, andPseudocolliniaspp. ciliates. Of these parasites,Metschnikowiaspp. fungi andPseudocolliniaspp. ciliates had previously been observed inE. superba, as had other genera of apicomplexans, though notLankesteriaandParalecudina.In contrast, nematodes had previously only been observed in eggs ofE. superba, and there are no literature reports of peronosporomycetes in euphausiids.Pseudocolliniaspp., parasitoids which obligately kill their host, were the most frequently observed infection, with a prevalence of 12%. The wide range of observed parasites and the relatively high frequency of infections suggest parasites may play a more important role than previously acknowledged inE. superbaecology and population dynamics.

Species-specific duplex PCR for the detection of Pratylenchus penetrans

Nematology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 847-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lieven Waeyenberge ◽  
Nicole Viaene ◽  
Maurice Moens
Keyword(s):  
Internal Control ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Duplex Pcr ◽  
Specific Primers ◽  
5.8S Rrna Gene ◽  
5.8S Rrna ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Pcr Products ◽  
Species Specific

Abstract ITS1, the 5.8S rRNA gene and ITS2 of the rDNA region were sequenced from 20 different Pratylenchus species. Additionally, the same region was sequenced from seven populations of P. penetrans. After purifying, cloning and sequencing the PCR products, all sequences were aligned in order to find unique sites suitable for the design of species-specific primers for P. penetrans. Since ITS regions showed variability between and even within populations of P. penetrans, only three small DNA sequences were suitable for the construction of three potentially useful species-specific primers. New species-specific primers were paired with existing universal ITS primers and tested in all possible primer combinations. The best performing primer set, supplemented with a universal 28S rDNA primer set that served as an internal control, was tested in duplex PCR. The ideal annealing temperature, Mg2+ concentration and primer ratios were then determined for the most promising primer set. The optimised duplex PCR was subsequently tested on a wide range of different Pratylenchus spp. and 25 P. penetrans populations originating from all over the world. To test the sensitivity, the duplex PCR was conducted on DNA extracted from a single P. penetrans nematode mixed with varying amounts of nematodes belonging to another Pratylenchus species. Results showed that a reliable and sensitive P. penetrans species-specific duplex PCR was constructed.

scholarly journals High frequency and wide range of human kidney papillary crystalline plugs

Urolithiasis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Léa Huguet ◽  
Marine Le Dudal ◽  
Marine Livrozet ◽  
Dominique Bazin ◽  
Vincent Frochot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Human Kidney ◽  
Wide Range

A Geometric Parametric Analysis of a Magnetorheological Engine Mount

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter Anderson ◽  
Constantine Ciocanel ◽  
Mohammad Elahinia
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Variable Stiffness ◽  
Small Displacement ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Mr Fluid ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Engine Mount ◽  
Vehicle Technology

Engine vibration has caused a great deal of research for isolation to be performed. Traditionally, isolation was achieved through the use of pure elastomeric (rubber) mounts. However, with advances in vehicle technology, these types of mounts have become inadequate. The inadequacy stems from the vibration profile associated with the engine, i.e. high displacement at low frequency and small displacement at high frequency. Ideal isolation would be achieved through a stiff mount for low frequency and a soft mount for high frequency. This is contradictory to the performance of the elastomeric mounts. Hydraulic mounts were then developed to address this problem. A hydraulic mount has variable stiffness and damping due to the use of a decoupler and an inertia track. However, further advances in vehicle technology have rendered these mounts inadequate as well. Examples of these advances are hybridization (electric and hydraulic) and cylinder on demand (VCM, MDS & ACC). With these technologies, the vibration excitation has a significantly different profile, occurs over a wide range of frequencies, and calls for a new technology that can address this need. Magnetorheological (MR) fluid is a smart material that is able to change viscosity in the presence of a magnetic field. With the use of MR fluid, variable damping and stiffness can be achieved. An MR mount has been developed and tested. The performance of the mount depends on the geometry of the rubber part as well as the behavior of the MR fluid. The rubber top of the mount is the topic of this study due to its major impact on the isolation characteristics of the MR mount. To develop a design methodology to address the isolation needs of different hybrid vehicles, a geometric parametric finite element analysis has been completed and presented in this paper.

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