Broadened Population-Level Frequency Tuning in Human Auditory Cortex of Portable Music Player Users

Tinnitus is a phantom auditory perception without an external sound source and is one of the most common public health concerns that impair the quality of life of many individuals. However, its neural mechanisms remain unclear. We herein examined population-level frequency tuning in the auditory cortex of unilateral tinnitus patients with similar hearing levels in both ears using magnetoencephalography. We compared auditory-evoked neural activities elicited by a stimulation to the tinnitus and nontinnitus ears. Objective magnetoencephalographic data suggested that population-level frequency tuning corresponding to the tinnitus ear was significantly broader than that corresponding to the nontinnitus ear in the human auditory cortex. The results obtained support the hypothesis that pathological alterations in inhibitory neural networks play an important role in the perception of subjective tinnitus. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Although subjective tinnitus is one of the most common public health concerns that impair the quality of life of many individuals, no standard treatment or objective diagnostic method currently exists. We herein revealed that population-level frequency tuning was significantly broader in the tinnitus ear than in the nontinnitus ear. The results of the present study provide an insight into the development of an objective diagnostic method for subjective tinnitus.

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Fine frequency tuning in monkey auditory cortex and thalamus

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00559.2010 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 106 (2) ◽

pp. 849-859 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Edward L. Bartlett ◽

Srivatsun Sadagopan ◽

Xiaoqin Wang

Keyword(s):

Auditory Cortex ◽

Auditory Nerve ◽

Animal Studies ◽

De Novo ◽

Frequency Tuning ◽

Primary Auditory Cortex ◽

Auditory Pathway ◽

Nerve Fibers ◽

Frequency Resolution ◽

Human Auditory Cortex

The frequency resolution of neurons throughout the ascending auditory pathway is important for understanding how sounds are processed. In many animal studies, the frequency tuning widths are about 1/5th octave wide in auditory nerve fibers and much wider in auditory cortex neurons. Psychophysical studies show that humans are capable of discriminating far finer frequency differences. A recent study suggested that this is perhaps attributable to fine frequency tuning of neurons in human auditory cortex (Bitterman Y, Mukamel R, Malach R, Fried I, Nelken I. Nature 451: 197–201, 2008). We investigated whether such fine frequency tuning was restricted to human auditory cortex by examining the frequency tuning width in the awake common marmoset monkey. We show that 27% of neurons in the primary auditory cortex exhibit frequency tuning that is finer than the typical frequency tuning of the auditory nerve and substantially finer than previously reported cortical data obtained from anesthetized animals. Fine frequency tuning is also present in 76% of neurons of the auditory thalamus in awake marmosets. Frequency tuning was narrower during the sustained response compared to the onset response in auditory cortex neurons but not in thalamic neurons, suggesting that thalamocortical or intracortical dynamics shape time-dependent frequency tuning in cortex. These findings challenge the notion that the fine frequency tuning of auditory cortex is unique to human auditory cortex and that it is a de novo cortical property, suggesting that the broader tuning observed in previous animal studies may arise from the use of anesthesia during physiological recordings or from species differences.

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Ultra-fine frequency tuning revealed in single neurons of human auditory cortex

Nature ◽

10.1038/nature06476 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 451 (7175) ◽

pp. 197-201 ◽

Cited By ~ 107

Author(s):

Y. Bitterman ◽

R. Mukamel ◽

R. Malach ◽

I. Fried ◽

I. Nelken

Keyword(s):

Auditory Cortex ◽

Frequency Tuning ◽

Single Neurons ◽

Human Auditory Cortex

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Combining ultra-high-field fMRI adaptation and computational modelling to estimate neuronal frequency selectivity in human auditory cortex

10.1101/2022.01.06.475208 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Julien Besle ◽

Rosa-Maria Sánchez-Panchuelo ◽

Susan Francis ◽

Katrin Krumbholz

Keyword(s):

Auditory Cortex ◽

Frequency Tuning ◽

Computational Modelling ◽

Frequency Selectivity ◽

Bold Response ◽

Specific Adaptation ◽

Tuning Curves ◽

Frequency Independent ◽

Human Auditory Cortex ◽

Fmri Adaptation

Frequency selectivity is a ubiquitous property of auditory neurons. Measuring it in human auditory cortex may be crucial for understanding common auditory deficits, but current non-invasive neuroimaging techniques can only measure the aggregate response of large populations of cells, thereby overestimating tuning width. Here we attempted to estimate neuronal frequency tuning in human auditory cortex using a combination of fMRI-adaptation paradigm at 7T and computational modelling. We measured the BOLD response in the auditory cortex of eleven participants to a high frequency (3.8 kHz) probe presented alone or preceded by adaptors at different frequencies (0.5 to 3.8 kHz). From these data, we derived both the response tuning curves (the BOLD response to adaptors alone as a function of adaptor frequency) and adaptation tuning curves (the degree of response suppression to the probe as a function of adaptor frequency, assumed to reflect neuronal tuning) in primary and secondary auditory cortical areas, delineated in each participant. Results suggested the existence of both frequency-independent and frequency-specific adaptation components, with the latter being more frequency-tuned than response tuning curves. Using a computational model of neuronal adaptation and BOLD non-linearity in topographically-organized cortex, we demonstrate both that the frequency-specific adaptation component overestimates the underlying neuronal frequency tuning and that frequency-specific and frequency-independent adaptation component cannot easily be disentangled from the adaptation tuning curve. By fitting our model directly to the response and adaptation tuning curves, we derive a range of plausible values for neuronal frequency tuning. Our results suggest that fMRI adaptation is suitable for measuring neuronal frequency tuning properties in human auditory cortex, provided population effects and the non-linearity of BOLD response are taken into account.

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