Representation of sound frequency and laterality by units in central nucleus of cat inferior colliculus

1979 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 1626-1639 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. N. Semple ◽  
L. M. Aitkin
Keyword(s):  
Inferior Colliculus ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Unit Classes ◽  
Heterogeneous Interaction ◽  
Phase Sensitive ◽  
Adult Cats

1. The discharges of 632 units were isolated extracellularly during 42 penetrations of the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) in 21 adult cats lightly anesthetized with pentobarbital and ketamine. Microelectrode penetrations were directed from caudal to rostral through ICC, parallel to the Horsley-Clarke (H-C) horizontal and sagittal planes. 2. The threshold best frequency (BF) and binaural response properties were examined for each unit, with the aim of elucidating the organization of these discharge characteristics within ICC. 3. Binaural unit classes consisted of monaural (contralateral) (EO), binaurally phase-sensitive (delay), contralateral excitatory/ipsilateral inhibitory (EI), binaurally excitatory (EE), and other more heterogeneous interaction patterns (other). 4. Detailed histological reconstruction of electrode tracks allowed the recording site for each unit to be related to the three dimensions of ICC. This structure was divided into three lateromedial and three rostrocaudal blocks such that each block contained a similar number of units, enabling meaningful statistical comparisons. Low (3.2 kHz greater than BF) and high (3.2 kHz less than BF) best-frequency classes provided a correlate of dorsoventral location. 5. The arrangements of BFs within ICC were found to be compatible with a model of this structure in which units having similar BFs are organized into layers lying in the H-C horizontal plane medially and gradually tilting in both a ventrolateral and ventrorostral direction. Low frequencies are concentrated dorsally and laterally; high frequencies, ventrally and medially. A rostrocaudal BF difference arises only in lateral aspects of the ICC, where lower frequencies are encountered rostrally. 6. Binaural response classes were distributed differentially throughout ICC. Thus, EO units were concentrated caudally, ventrally, and laterally, while delay units were in greatest numbers rostrally, dorsally, and laterally--almost totally segregated from EO and EI units. The latter populations overlapped ventrally and laterally, but EI units were in greatest density rostrally. The EE class occurred throughout the nucleus, but was most common medially. 7. It is suggested that the differential distributions of binaural responses reflect a partial segregation of the afferents, arising in the superior olive and cochlear nucleus, which terminate in ICC. The central nucleus of the inferior colliculus thus may be composed of several functionally segregated subregions contained within a common tonotopic organization.

Inferior colliculus. I. Comparison of response properties of neurons in central, pericentral, and external nuclei of adult cat

1975 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 1196-1207 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Aitkin ◽  
W. R. Webster ◽  
J. L. Veale ◽  
D. C. Crosby
Keyword(s):  
Inferior Colliculus ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
The Common ◽  
Adult Cat ◽  
Tonal Stimuli ◽  
Anesthetized Cat

The responses of 150 units in the central (ICC), pericentral (ICP), and external nuclei (ICX) of the inferior colliculus of the anesthetized cat were studied in relation to their tuning characteristics and binaural responses to tonal stimuli. Units in ICC were characterized by sharp tuning and binaural responses, while those in ICP and ICX were frequently very broadly tuned with a poorly defined best frequency. Nonetheless, in the latter nuclei a tendency existed for tonotopic organization to occur with high frequencies located externally and low frequencies at the margins of the central nucleus. Tuning measurements were hampered by the common occurrence of habituation in the discharges of single units in ICP and, to a lesser extend, ICX. The majority of units in ICP could be differentiated from those in ICX by their monaural input. Speculations were advanced linking anatomical cell types to physiological responses in the three nuclei and into the possible functional significance of the different behavior of units to tonal stimuli.

Binaural masking and sensitivity to interaural delay in the inferior colliculus

1992 ◽  
Vol 336 (1278) ◽  
pp. 415-422 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Inferior Colliculus ◽  
Physiological Mechanism ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Neural Population ◽  
Physiological Basis ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Delay Sensitive ◽  
Masking Level Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Number Of Discharges

The binaural masking level difference (BMLD) is a psychophysical effect whereby signals masked by a noise at one ear become unmasked by sounds reaching the other, BMLD effects are largest at low frequencies where they depend on signal phase, suggesting that part of the physiological mechanism responsible for the BMLD resides in cells that are sensitive to interaural time disparities. We have investigated a physiological basis for unmasking in the responses of delay-sensitive cells in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus in anaesthetized guinea pigs. The masking effects of a binaurally presented noise, as a function of the masker delay, were quantified by measuring the number of discharges synchronized to the signal, and by measuring the masked threshold. The noise level for masking was lowest at the best delay for the noise. The mean magnitude of the unmasking across our neural population was similar to the human psychophysical BMLD under the same signal and masker conditions.

Response selectivity for multiple dimensions of frequency sweeps in the pallid bat inferior colliculus

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 1061-1079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. M. Fuzessery
Keyword(s):  
Inferior Colliculus ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Frequency Change ◽  
Frequency Range ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Response Properties ◽  
Sweep Direction ◽  
Pallid Bat

1. While hunting, the pallid bat uses passive sound localization at low frequencies to find terrestrial prey, and echolocation for general orientation. It must therefore process two different types of acoustic input at the same time. The pallid bat's echolocation pulse is a downward frequency-modulated (FM) sweep from 60 to 30 kHz. This study examined the response selectivity of single neurons in the pallid bat's central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) for FM sweeps, comparing the response properties of the high-frequency population, tuned to the biosonar pulse, with the low-frequency population, tuned below the pulse. The working hypothesis was that the high-frequency population would exhibit a response selectivity for downward FM sweeps that was not present in the low-frequency population. 2. Neurons were tested for their selectivity for FM sweep direction, duration, frequency range and bandwidth, and rate of frequency change. The extent to which they responded exclusively to tones, noise, and FM sweeps was also examined. Significant differences in the response properties of neurons in the two populations were found. In the low-frequency population, all neurons responded to tones, but only 50% responded to FM sweeps. Only 23% were selective for sweep direction. In the high-frequency population, all neurons responded to FM sweeps, but 31% did not respond to tones. Over one-half of this population was selective for sweep direction, and of those that were selective, all preferred the downward sweep direction of the biosonar pulse. A large percentage (31%) responded exclusively to downward sweeps, and not to tones or upward sweeps. None of the cells in either population responded to noise, or did so only at very high relative thresholds. 3. Both populations contained neurons that were selective for short stimulus durations that approximated the duration of the biosonar pulse, although the percentage was greater in the high-frequency population (58% vs. 20%). In the high-frequency population, 31% of the neurons tested for duration responded exclusively to both the sweep direction and duration of the biosonar pulse. 4. Downward FM-selective neurons, with one exception, were generally insensitive to the rate of frequency change of the FM sweep, as well as the frequency range and bandwidth of the sweep. They responded similarly to both the full 60- to 30-kHz sweep and to 5-kHz bandwidth portions of the full sweep.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Representation of the Temporal Envelope of Sounds in the Human Brain

2000 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 1588-1598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Lise Giraud ◽  
Christian Lorenzi ◽  
John Ashburner ◽  
Jocelyne Wable ◽  
Ingrid Johnsrude ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inferior Colliculus ◽  
Auditory System ◽  
Medial Geniculate Body ◽  
Response Model ◽  
Response Type ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Temporal Envelope ◽  
Medial Geniculate ◽  
The Right

The cerebral representation of the temporal envelope of sounds was studied in five normal-hearing subjects using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The stimuli were white noise, sinusoidally amplitude-modulated at frequencies ranging from 4 to 256 Hz. This range includes low AM frequencies (up to 32 Hz) essential for the perception of the manner of articulation and syllabic rate, and high AM frequencies (above 64 Hz) essential for the perception of voicing and prosody. The right lower brainstem (superior olivary complex), the right inferior colliculus, the left medial geniculate body, Heschl's gyrus, the superior temporal gyrus, the superior temporal sulcus, and the inferior parietal lobule were specifically responsive to AM. Global tuning curves in these regions suggest that the human auditory system is organized as a hierarchical filter bank, each processing level responding preferentially to a given AM frequency, 256 Hz for the lower brainstem, 32–256 Hz for the inferior colliculus, 16 Hz for the medial geniculate body, 8 Hz for the primary auditory cortex, and 4–8 Hz for secondary regions. The time course of the hemodynamic responses showed sustained and transient components with reverse frequency dependent patterns: the lower the AM frequency the better the fit with a sustained response model, the higher the AM frequency the better the fit with a transient response model. Using cortical maps of best modulation frequency, we demonstrate that the spatial representation of AM frequencies varies according to the response type. Sustained responses yield maps of low frequencies organized in large clusters. Transient responses yield maps of high frequencies represented by a mosaic of small clusters. Very few voxels were tuned to intermediate frequencies (32–64 Hz). We did not find spatial gradients of AM frequencies associated with any response type. Our results suggest that two frequency ranges (up to 16 and 128 Hz and above) are represented in the cortex by different response types. However, the spatial segregation of these two ranges is not systematic. Most cortical regions were tuned to low frequencies and only a few to high frequencies. Yet, voxels that show a preference for low frequencies were also responsive to high frequencies. Overall, our study shows that the temporal envelope of sounds is processed by both distinct (hierarchically organized series of filters) and shared (high and low AM frequencies eliciting different responses at the same cortical locus) neural substrates. This layout suggests that the human auditory system is organized in a parallel fashion that allows a degree of separate routing for groups of AM frequencies conveying different information and preserves a possibility for integration of complementary features in cortical auditory regions.

Neural Sensitivity to Interaural Envelope Delays in the Inferior Colliculus of the Guinea Pig

2005 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 3463-3478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Griffin ◽  
Leslie R. Bernstein ◽  
Neil J. Ingham ◽  
David McAlpine
Keyword(s):  
Fine Structure ◽  
Guinea Pig ◽  
Inferior Colliculus ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Neural Firing ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Interaural Time Differences ◽  
High Frequencies

Interaural time differences (ITDs) are important cues for mammalian sound localization. At high frequencies, sensitivity to ITDs, which are conveyed only by the envelope of the waveforms, has been shown to be poorer than sensitivity to ITDs at low frequencies, which are conveyed primarily by the fine structure of the waveforms. Recently, human psychophysical experiments have demonstrated that sensitivity to envelope-based ITDs in high-frequency transposed tones can be equivalent to low-frequency fine-structure–based ITD sensitivity. Transposed tones are designed to provide high-frequency auditory nerve fibers (ANFs) with similar temporal information to that provided by low-frequency tones. We investigated neural sensitivity to ITDs in high-frequency transposed and sinusoidally amplitude modulated (SAM) tones, in the inferior colliculus of the guinea pig. Neural sensitivity to ITDs in transposed tones was found to be greater than that to ITDs in SAM tones; in response to transposed tones, neural firing rates were more modulated as a function of ITD and discrimination thresholds were found to be lower than those in response to SAM tones. Similar to psychophysical findings, ITD discrimination of single neurons in response to transposed tones for rates of modulation <250 Hz was comparable to neural discrimination of ITDs in low-frequency tones. This suggests that the neural mechanisms that mediate sensitivity to ITDs at high and low frequencies are functionally equivalent, provided that the stimuli result in appropriate temporal patterns of action potentials in ANFs.

Single-Unit Responses in the Inferior Colliculus of Decerebrate Cats II. Sensitivity to Interaural Level Differences

1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin A. Davis ◽  
Ramnarayan Ramachandran ◽  
Bradford J. May
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Response ◽  
Inferior Colliculus ◽  
Free Field ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Type I ◽  
Discharge Rates ◽  
Ipsilateral Stimulation ◽  
Interaural Level Differences ◽  
Type V ◽  
Decerebrate Cats

Single units in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) of unanesthetized decerebrate cats can be grouped into three distinct types (V, I, and O) according to the patterns of excitation and inhibition revealed in contralateral frequency response maps. This study extends the description of these response types by assessing their ipsilateral and binaural response map properties. Here the nature of ipsilateral inputs is evaluated directly using frequency response maps and compared with results obtained from methods that rely on sensitivity to interaural level differences (ILDs). In general, there is a one-to-one correspondence between observed ipsilateral input characteristics and those inferred from ILD manipulations. Type V units receive ipsilateral excitation and show binaural facilitation (EE properties); type I and type O units receive ipsilateral inhibition and show binaural excitatory/inhibitory (EI) interactions. Analyses of binaural frequency response maps show that these ILD effects extend over the entire receptive field of ICC units. Thus the range of frequencies that elicits excitation from type V units is expanded with increasing levels of ipsilateral stimulation, whereas the excitatory bandwidth of type I and O units decreases under the same binaural conditions. For the majority of ICC units, application of bicuculline, an antagonist for GABAA-mediated inhibition, does not alter the basic effects of binaural stimulation; rather, it primarily increases spontaneous and maximum discharge rates. These results support our previous interpretations of the putative dominant inputs to ICC response types and have important implications for midbrain processing of competing free-field sounds that reach the listener with different directional signatures.

Effect of Blowing Agent on Cell Morphology and Acoustic Absorption of Natural Rubber Foam

2015 ◽  
Vol 804 ◽  
pp. 25-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanlop Harnnarongchai ◽  
Kantima Chaochanchaikul
Keyword(s):  
Natural Rubber ◽  
Cell Size ◽  
Cell Morphology ◽  
Foam Cell ◽  
Adsorption Coefficient ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Potassium Oleate ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Blowing Agent ◽  
Open Cell Foam

The sound absorbing efficiency of natural rubber (NR) foam is affected by the cell morphology of foam. Potassium oleate (K-oleate) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) were used as blowing agents to create open-cell foam. Amounts of the blowing agent were varied from 0.5 to 8.0 part per hundred of rubber (phr) to evaluate cell size and number of foam cell as well as sound adsorption coefficient of NR foam. The NR foam specimens were prepared using mould and air-circulating oven for vulcanizing and foaming processes. The results indicated that K-oleate at 2.0 phr and NaHCO3 at 0.5 phr led to form NR foam with the smallest cell size and the largest number of foam cell. At low frequencies, the optimum sound adsorption coefficient of NR foam was caused by filling K-oleate 2 phr. However, that of NR foam at high frequencies was provided by 0.5 phr-NaHCO3 addition.

Phase-Locked Responses to Pure Tones in the Inferior Colliculus

2006 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 1926-1935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang-Fa Liu ◽  
Alan R. Palmer ◽  
Mark N. Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Guinea Pig ◽  
Inferior Colliculus ◽  
Phase Locking ◽  
Single Units ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Dorsal Cortex ◽  
Upper Limits ◽  
Ascending Pathways ◽  
Pure Tones ◽  
The Brain

In the auditory system, some ascending pathways preserve the precise timing information present in a temporal code of frequency. This can be measured by studying responses that are phase-locked to the stimulus waveform. At each stage along a pathway, there is a reduction in the upper frequency limit of the phase-locking and an increase in the steady-state latency. In the guinea pig, phase-locked responses to pure tones have been described at various levels from auditory nerve to neocortex but not in the inferior colliculus (IC). Therefore we made recordings from 161 single units in guinea pig IC. Of these single units, 68% (110/161) showed phase-locked responses. Cells that phase-locked were mainly located in the central nucleus but also occurred in the dorsal cortex and external nucleus. The upper limiting frequency of phase-locking varied greatly between units (80−1,034 Hz) and between anatomical divisions. The upper limits in the three divisions were central nucleus, >1,000 Hz; dorsal cortex, 700 Hz; external nucleus, 320 Hz. The mean latencies also varied and were central nucleus, 8.2 ± 2.8 (SD) ms; dorsal cortex, 17.2 ms; external nucleus, 13.3 ms. We conclude that many cells in the central nucleus receive direct inputs from the brain stem, whereas cells in the external and dorsal divisions receive input from other structures that may include the forebrain.

Hearing loss in diabetics

1993 ◽  
Vol 107 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Cullen ◽  
M. J. Cinnamond
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Deafness ◽  
Insulin Dosage ◽  
Speech Discrimination ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Insulin Dependent ◽  
Stapedial Reflex ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between diabetes and senbsorineural hearing loss has been disputed. This study compares 44 insulin-dependent diabetics with 38 age and sex matched controls. All had pure tone and speech audiometry performed, with any diabetics showing sensorineural deafness undergoing stapedial reflecx decat tests. In 14 diabetics stapedial reflex tests showed no tone decay in any patient, but seven showed evidence of recruitment. Analysis of vaiance showed the diabetics to be significantly deafer than the control population.The hearing loss affected high frequencies in both sexes, but also low frequencies in the male. Speech discrimination scores showed no differences. Further analysis by sex showed the males to account for most of the differences. Analysys of the audiograms showered mostly a high tone loss. Finally duration of disbetes, insulin dosage and family history of diabtes were not found to have a significant effect on threshold.

Use of Measured Mobility to Improve SEA Predictions in the Mid-Frequency Range

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerome E. Manning
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Systems ◽  
Broad Band ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
Hybrid Technique ◽  
Complex Dynamic ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Complex Dynamic Systems ◽  
Light Coupling

Abstract Statistical energy analysis provides a technique to predict acoustic and vibration levels in complex dynamic systems. The technique is most useful for broad-band excitation at high frequencies where many modes contribute to the response in any given frequency band. At mid and low frequencies, the number of modes contributing to the response may be quite small. In this case SEA predictions show large variability from measured data and may not be useful for vibroacoustic design. This paper focuses on the use of measured data to improve the accuracy of the predictions. Past work to measure the SEA coupling and damping loss factors has not been successful for a broad range of systems that do not have light coupling. This paper introduces a new hybrid SEA technique that combines measured mobility functions with analytical SEA predictions. The accuracy of the hybrid technique is shown to be greatly improved at mid and low frequencies.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document