scholarly journals Segregation of stimulus phase and intensity coding in the cochlear nucleus of the barn owl

1984 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 1787-1799 ◽  
Author(s):  
WE Sullivan ◽  
M Konishi
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Nucleus ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Intensity Coding

Frequency Tuning and Spontaneous Activity in the Auditory Nerve and Cochlear Nucleus Magnocellularis of the Barn Owl Tyto alba

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 364-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Köppl
Keyword(s):  
Response Latency ◽  
Cochlear Nucleus ◽  
Auditory Nerve ◽  
Frequency Tuning ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Spontaneous Discharge ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Nucleus Magnocellularis ◽  
Auditory Nerve Fibers

Köppl, Christine. Frequency tuning and spontaneous activity in the auditory nerve and cochlear nucleus magnocellularis of the barn owl Tyto alba. J. Neurophysiol. 77: 364–377, 1997. Single-unit recordings were obtained from the brain stem of the barn owl at the level of entrance of the auditory nerve. Auditory nerve and nucleus magnocellularis units were distinguished by physiological criteria, with the use of the response latency to clicks, the spontaneous discharge rate, and the pattern of characteristic frequencies encountered along an electrode track. The response latency to click stimulation decreased in a logarithmic fashion with increasing characteristic frequency for both auditory nerve and nucleus magnocellularis units. The average difference between these populations was 0.4–0.55 ms. The most sensitive thresholds were ∼0 dB SPL and varied little between 0.5 and 9 kHz. Frequency-threshold curves showed the simple V shape that is typical for birds, with no indication of a low-frequency tail. Frequency selectivity increased in a gradual, power-law fashion with increasing characteristic frequency. There was no reflection of the unusual and greatly expanded mapping of higher frequencies on the basilar papilla of the owl. This observation is contrary to the equal-distance hypothesis that relates frequency selectivity to the spatial respresentation in the cochlea. On the basis of spontaneous rates and/or sensitivity there was no evidence for distinct subpopulations of auditory nerve fibers, such as the well-known type I afferent response classes in mammals. On the whole, barn owl auditory nerve physiology conformed entirely to the typical patterns seen in other bird species. The only exception was a remarkably small spread of thresholds at any one frequency, this being only 10–15 dB in individual owls. Average spontaneous rate was 72.2 spikes/s in the auditory nerve and 219.4 spikes/s for nucleus magnocellularis. This large difference, together with the known properties of endbulb-of-Held synapses, suggests a convergence of ∼2–4 auditory nerve fibers onto one nucleus magnocellularis neuron. Some auditory nerve fibers as well as nucleus magnocellularis units showed a quasiperiodic spontaneous discharge with preferred intervals in the time-interval histogram. This phenomenon was observed at frequencies as high as 4.7 kHz.

scholarly journals Voids in the gerbil cochlear nucleus: Is there an anatomical substrate for intensity coding?

1989 ◽  
Vol 85 (S1) ◽  
pp. S69-S69 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. D. Statler ◽  
S. C. Chamberlain ◽  
R. L. Smith ◽  
N. B. Slepecky
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Nucleus ◽  
Intensity Coding

Classification of response patterns in cochlear nucleus of barn owl: correlation with functional response properties

1985 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. E. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Stimulus Intensity ◽  
Cochlear Nucleus ◽  
Interspike Interval ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Rate Intensity ◽  
Discharge Patterns ◽  
Intensity Functions

Response patterns of neurons in the cochlear nuclei of the barn owl (Tyto alba) were studied by obtaining poststimulus time histograms (PSTHs) and interspike interval histograms for the response to short tone bursts at the neuron's characteristic frequency. The observed response patterns can be classified according to the scheme developed for neurons of the mammalian cochlear nuclear complex (22). Neurons of the magnocellular cochlear nucleus (n. magnocellularis), which respond in a phase-locked manner to sinusoidal signals and do not show large increases in spike discharge rate with changes in stimulus intensity (26), have "primarylike" (PSTH) discharge patterns and broad interspike interval histograms. This indicates that magnocellular neurons have irregular firing patterns, with the timing of individual spikes being dependent on the phase of the stimulus waveform. Neurons of the angular cochlear nucleus (n. angularis), which show little or no phase-locking and large increases in spike rate with increasing intensity (26), had almost exclusively "transient chopper" discharge patterns. The interspike interval histograms of these angular units are sharp, indicating that their discharge is very regular. At the onset of the response where the chopper pattern is observed, both discharge regularity and rate-intensity sensitivity are at their maximum levels. Several "onset" units were isolated in the angular cochlear nucleus, but no "pauser" or "buildup" units were seen. Also, all of the units in the angular nucleus had monotonic rate-intensity functions. Thus no neural response patterns typical of mammalian dorsal cochlear nucleus units were observed. The relationship of response pattern type to neural function is discussed in relation to the acoustic cues used by the owl for two-dimensional sound localization. The primarylike, phase-locked discharge of magnocellular units is undoubtedly involved in the analysis of interaural differences in stimulus phase, which the owl uses for horizontal localization. There is strong evidence suggesting that the angular nucleus is involved in processing stimulus intensity information, which is important for determining sound elevation (due to asymmetries in vertical directionality of the owl's external ears). The predominant chopper patterns seen in the angular nucleus suggest that in the owl, this response type is correlated with stimulus intensity processing. Similarities in both anatomy and physiology suggest that the magnocellular nucleus is analogous to the spherical cell or bushy cell population of the anterior division of the mammalian anteroventral cochlear nucleus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

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