Encoding of Stimulus Frequency and Intensity by Cat Superior Olive S‐Segment Cells

1967 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 794-805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiyeko Tsuchitani ◽  
James C. Boudreau
1985 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Harnischfeger ◽  
G. Neuweiler ◽  
P. Schlegel

Single-unit responses to tonal stimulation with interaural disparities were recorded in the nuclei of the superior olivary complex (SOC) and the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) of the echolocating bat, Molossus ater. Seventy-six units were recorded from the ICC and 74 from the SOC; of the SOC units, 31 were histologically verified in the medial superior olive (MSO), 10 in the lateral superior olive (LSO), and 33 in unidentified areas of the SOC. Best frequencies (BFs) of the units ranged from 10.3 to 89.6 kHz, and Q10 dB values ranged from 2 to 70 dB. Most ICC neurons responded phasically to stimulus onset and were either inhibitory/excitatory [I/E; (53)] or excitatory/excitatory [E/E; (21)] units. In the MSO, 23 units responded tonically and 7 phasically on, 18 were E/E or E/OF (facilitatory for other input) units, and 11 were I/E neurons. All LSO neurons responded in a "chopper" fashion, and the binaural neurons were E/I units. In E/E units the excitatory response to binaural stimulation was frequently larger than the sum of the monaurally evoked responses. Many neurons with E/I or I/E inputs had very steep binaural impulse-count functions and were sensitive to small interaural intensity differences. Twenty-eight units (24%) responded with a change in firing rate of at least 20% to interaural time differences of +/- 500 microseconds. Within this sample, 11 units (8 from ICC, 2 from MSO, and 1 from SOC) were sensitive to interaural time differences of only +/- 50 microseconds. Of these 11 units, 10 were I/E units responding phasically only to stimulus onset and were also sensitive to intensity differences (delta I), being suppressed completely by the inhibitory input over a delta I range of 20 dB or less. Of 117 units tested in the ICC and SOC nuclei, 86 units (76%) were not sensitive to interaural time disparities within +/- 500 microseconds. Because the BFs of these units sensitive to interaural transient time differences (delta t) ranged between 18 and 90 kHz, responses were elicited by pure tones, and responses did not change periodically with the period equal to that of the stimulus frequency, we conclude that the neurons reacted to interaural differences of stimulus-onset time (transient time difference) but not to phase differences (ongoing time difference). Sensitivity to interaural time differences was also correlated with interaural intensity differences.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


1991 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 1080-1094 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Covey ◽  
M. Vater ◽  
J. H. Casseday

1. Previous studies of the superior olive of echolocating bats suggest that the lateral superior olive (LSO) retains the same structure and function as in other mammals but that the medial superior olive (MSO) is different in structure and possibly also in function. The present study is an examination of this idea in Pteronotus parnellii, a bat that has a large and well-defined MSO. 2. Using pure tones presented via earphones, we obtained data on frequency tuning for 60 single units and 96 multiunits in LSO and 94 single units and 154 multiunits in MSO. Of these we also obtained binaural response characteristics from 55 single units in LSO and 72 single units in MSO. 3. LSO and MSO each have a complete tonotopic representation, arranged in a sequence similar to that of other mammals studied. However, in both LSO and MSO there is an expanded representation of the frequencies around 60 kHz, the main frequency component of the bat's echolocation call; there is another expanded representation of the range around 90 kHz, the third harmonic of the call. The expansion of these frequency ranges suggests that the functions of LSO and MSO in Pteronotus are related to echolocation behavior. 4. The binaural characteristics of cells in LSO were essentially the same as those seen in other mammals. Most LSO units (93%) were excited by the ipsilateral ear and inhibited by the contralateral ear. The responses of nearly all LSO units were completely suppressed when the sound level at the two ears was equal. 5. The binaural characteristics of cells in MSO were different from those in nonecholocating mammals. Most MSO units (72%) were excited by the contralateral ear but were neither excited nor inhibited by the ipsilateral ear. Of the remaining units, 21% were excited by the contralateral ear and inhibited by the ipsilateral ear, and only 6% were excited by both ears. 6. The temporal discharge patterns of units in MSO differed from the tonic response pattern seen in LSO. Most MSO units had phasic response patterns, with a few spikes at the onset or offset of the stimulus; the response often changed from ON to OFF depending on stimulus frequency. 7. The results support the idea that in evolution LSO has remained unchanged, whereas MSO has undergone adaptation. The function of LSO in Pteronotus seems to be identical to that in other mammals, i.e., analysis of interaural sound level differences to derive azimuthal location. The function of MSO in Pteronotus must be different from that in nonecholocating mammals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


1994 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 706-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Grothe

1. In mammals with good low-frequency hearing, the medial superior olive (MSO) processes interaural time or phase differences that are important cues for sound localization. Its cells receive excitatory projections from both cochlear nuclei and are thought to function as coincidence detectors. The response patterns of MSO neurons in most mammals are predominantly sustained. In contrast, the MSO in the mustached bat is a monaural nucleus containing neurons with phasic discharge patterns. These neurons receive projections from the contralateral anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) and the ipsilateral medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB). 2. To further investigate the role of the MSO in the bat, the responses of 252 single units in the MSO to pure tones and sinusoidal amplitude-modulated (SAM) stimuli were recorded. The results confirmed that the MSO in the mustached bat is tonotopically organized, with low frequencies in the dorsal part and high frequencies in the ventral part. The 61-kHz region is overrepresented. Most neurons tested (88%) were monaural and discharged only in response to contralateral stimuli. Their response could not be influenced by stimulation of the ipsilateral ear. 3. Only 11% of all MSO neurons were spontaneously active. In these neurons the spontaneous discharge rate was suppressed during the stimulus presentation. 4. The majority of cells (85%) responded with a phasic discharge pattern. About one-half (51%) responded with a level-independent phasic ON response. Other phasic response patterns included phasic OFF or phasic ON-OFF, depending on the stimulus frequency. Neurons with ON-OFF discharge patterns were most common in the 61-kHz region and absent in the high-frequency region. 5. Double tone experiments showed that at short intertone intervals the ON response to the second stimulus or the OFF response to the first stimulus was inhibited. 6. In neuropharmacological experiments, glycine applied to MSO neurons (n = 71) inhibited any tone-evoked response. In the presence of the glycine antagonist strychnine the response patterns changed from phasic to sustained (n = 35) and the neurons responded to both tones presented in double tone experiments independent of the intertone interval (n = 5). The effects of strychnine were reversible. 7. Twenty of 21 neurons tested with sinusoidally amplitude-modulated (SAM) signals exhibited low-pass or band-pass filter characteristics. Tests with SAM signals also revealed a weak temporal summation of inhibition in 13 of the 21 cells tested.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


1964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur W. Melton ◽  
Harley Bernbach ◽  
Gerald M. Reicher

2000 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-492
Author(s):  
Naohiko Takahashi ◽  
Morio Ito ◽  
Shuji Ishida ◽  
Takao Fujino ◽  
Mikiko Nakagawa ◽  
...  

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