scholarly journals Response Properties of Single Units in the Dorsal Nucleus of the Lateral Lemniscus of Decerebrate Cats

2007 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 1475-1488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin A. Davis ◽  
Oleg Lomakin ◽  
Michael J. Pesavento
Keyword(s):  
Broadband Noise ◽  
Type I ◽  
Lateral Lemniscus ◽  
Decerebrate Cat ◽  
Response Properties ◽  
Dorsal Nucleus ◽  
Contralateral Response ◽  
High Level ◽  
Interaural Level Differences ◽  
Type V

The dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (DNLL) receives afferent inputs from many brain stem nuclei and, in turn, is a major source of inhibitory inputs to the inferior colliculus (IC). The goal of this study was to characterize the monaural and binaural response properties of neurons in the DNLL of unanesthetized decerebrate cat. Monaural responses were classified according to the patterns of excitation and inhibition observed in contralateral and ipsilateral frequency response maps. Binaural classification was based on unit sensitivity to interaural level differences. The results show that units in the DNLL can be grouped into three distinct types. Type v units produce contralateral response maps that show a wide V-shaped excitatory area and no inhibition. These units receive ipsilateral excitation and exhibit binaural facilitation. The contralateral maps of type i units show a more restricted I-shaped region of excitation that is flanked by inhibition. Type o maps display an O-shaped island of excitation at low stimulus levels that is bounded by inhibition at higher levels. Both type i and type o units receive ipsilateral inhibition and exhibit binaural inhibition. Units that produce type v maps have a low best frequency (BF), whereas type i and type o units have high BFs. Type v and type i units give monotonic rate-level responses for both BF tones and broadband noise. Type o units are inhibited by tones at high levels, but are excited by high-level noise. These results show that the DNLL can exert strong, differential effects in the IC.

Response properties of single units in the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus and paralemniscal zone of an echolocating bat

1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 842-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Covey
Keyword(s):  
Sound Level ◽  
Single Units ◽  
Superior Olivary Complex ◽  
Inhibitory Input ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Lateral Lemniscus ◽  
Response Properties ◽  
Binaural Interaction ◽  
Dorsal Nucleus ◽  
Interaural Level Differences

1. Connectional evidence suggests that the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (DNLL) and the paralemniscal zone (PL) function as centers for binaural analysis interposed between the superior olivary complex and the midbrain. In addition, the DNLL is known to be a major source of inhibitory input to the midbrain. The aim of this study was to characterize the response properties of neurons in DNLL and PL of the echolocating bat Eptesicus fuscus, a species that utilizes high-frequency hearing and that might be expected to have a large proportion of neurons responsive to interaural differences in sound level. 2. Auditory stimuli were presented monaurally or binaurally to awake animals, and responses of single units were recorded extra-cellularly with the use of glass micropipettes. 3. Below the ventrolateral border of the inferior colliculus is a region that contains large gamma-aminobutyric acid-positive neurons. On the basis of its immunohistochemical reactivity, this entire region could be considered as DNLL. However, within the area, there was an uneven distribution of binaural responses. Caudally, binaural neurons made up 84% (41/49) of those tested, but rostrally only 29% (6/21). For this reason the rostral area is considered as a separate functional subdivision and referred to as the dorsal paralemniscal zone (DPL). PL is located ventral to DPL and medial to the intermediate and ventral nuclei of the lateral lemniscus; in PL 88% (14/16) of neurons were binaural. 4. Most neurons responded only to a contralateral stimulus when sounds were presented monaurally. Out of 49 neurons in DNLL, 42 responded only to a contralateral sound, 1 responded only to an ipsilateral sound, and 6 responded to sound at either ear. In the DPL, all of the 21 neurons tested responded to a contralateral sound and none to an ipsilateral sound. Out of 16 neurons in the PL, 11 responded only to a contralateral sound, 1 responded only to an ipsilateral sound, and 4 responded to sound at either ear. 5. When sounds were presented at both ears simultaneously, several different patterns of binaural interaction occurred. The most common pattern was suppression of the response to sound at one ear by sound at the other ear. In DNLL, 57% (28/49) of neurons showed this type of binaural interaction. Another 10% (5/49) showed facilitation at some interaural level differences and suppression at others, and another 10% (5/49) showed facilitation at some interaural level differences but no suppression.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

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.

Differential Response Properties to Amplitude Modulated Signals in the Dorsal Nucleus of the Lateral Lemniscus of the Mustache Bat and the Roles of GABAergic Inhibition

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 324-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lichuan Yang ◽  
George D. Pollak
Keyword(s):  
Phase Locking ◽  
Modulation Frequency ◽  
Tone Burst ◽  
Differential Response ◽  
Gabaergic Inhibition ◽  
Lateral Lemniscus ◽  
Response Properties ◽  
Dorsal Nucleus ◽  
Modulated Signals ◽  
Onset Response

Yang, Lichuan and George D. Pollak. Differential response properties to amplitude modulated signals in the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus of the mustache bat and the roles of GABAergic inhibition. J. Neurophysiol. 77: 324–340, 1997. We studied the phase-locking of 89 neurons in the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (DNLL) of the mustache bat to sinusoidally amplitude modulated (SAM) signals and the influence that GABAergic inhibition had on their response properties. Response properties were determined with tone bursts at each neuron's best frequency and then with a series of SAM signals that had modulation frequencies ranging from 50–100 to 800 Hz in 100-Hz steps. DNLL neurons were divided into two principal types: sustained neurons (55%), which responded throughout the duration of the tone burst, and onset neurons (45%), which responded only at the beginning of the tone burst. Sustained and onset neurons responded differently to SAM signals. Sustained neurons responded with phase-locked discharges to modulation frequencies ≤400–800 Hz. In contrast, 70% of the onset neurons phase-locked only to low modulation frequencies of 100–300 Hz, whereas 30% of the onset neurons did not phase-lock to any modulation frequency. Signal intensity differentially affected the phase-locking of sustained and onset neurons. Sustained neurons exhibited tight phase-locking only at low intensities, 10–30 dB above threshold. Onset neurons, in contrast, maintained strong phase-locking even at relatively high intensities. Blocking GABAergic inhibition with bicuculline had different effects on the phase-locking of sustained and onset neurons. In sustained neurons, there was an overall decline in phase-locking at all modulation frequencies. In contrast, 70% of the onset neurons phase-locked to much higher modulation frequencies than they did when inhibition was intact. The other 30% of onset neurons phase-locked to SAM signals, although they fired only with an onset response to the same signals before inhibition was blocked. In both cases, blocking GABAergic inhibition transformed their responses to SAM signals into patterns that were more like those of sustained neurons. We also propose mechanisms that could explain the differential effects of GABAergic inhibition on onset neurons that locked to low modulation frequencies and on onset neurons that did not lock to any SAM signals before inhibition was blocked. The key features of the proposed mechanisms are the absolute latencies and temporal synchrony of the excitatory and inhibitory inputs.

scholarly journals Differing Roles of Inhibition in Hierarchical Processing of Species-Specific Calls in Auditory Brainstem Nuclei

2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 4019-4037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruili Xie ◽  
John Meitzen ◽  
George D. Pollak
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Lateral Lemniscus ◽  
Response Properties ◽  
Hierarchical Processing ◽  
Tuning Curves ◽  
Neuronal Populations ◽  
Dorsal Nucleus ◽  
Brainstem Nuclei ◽  
Communication Calls ◽  
Species Specific

Here we report on response properties and the roles of inhibition in three brain stem nuclei of Mexican-free tailed bats: the inferior colliculus (IC), the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (DNLL) and the intermediate nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (INLL). In each nucleus, we documented the response properties evoked by both tonal and species-specific signals and evaluated the same features when inhibition was blocked. There are three main findings. First, DNLL cells have little or no surround inhibition and are unselective for communication calls, in that they responded to ∼97% of the calls that were presented. Second, most INLL neurons are characterized by wide tuning curves and are unselective for species-specific calls. The third finding is that the IC population is strikingly different from the neuronal populations in the INLL and DNLL. Where DNLL and INLL neurons are unselective and respond to most or all of the calls in the suite we presented, most IC cells are selective for calls and, on average, responded to ∼50% of the calls we presented. Additionally, the selectivity for calls in the majority of IC cells, as well as their tuning and other response properties, are strongly shaped by inhibitory innervation. Thus we show that inhibition plays only limited roles in the DNLL and INLL but dominates in the IC, where the various patterns of inhibition sculpt a wide variety of emergent response properties from the backdrop of more expansive and far less specific excitatory innervation.

Binaural Response Properties of Low-Frequency Neurons in the Gerbil Dorsal Nucleus of the Lateral Lemniscus

2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 1425-1440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida Siveke ◽  
Michael Pecka ◽  
Armin H. Seidl ◽  
Sylvie Baudoux ◽  
Benedikt Grothe
Keyword(s):  
Low Frequency ◽  
Superior Olivary Complex ◽  
Suitable Model ◽  
Medial Superior Olive ◽  
Lateral Lemniscus ◽  
Auditory Midbrain ◽  
Response Properties ◽  
Superior Olive ◽  
Dorsal Nucleus ◽  
Anatomical Evidence

Differences in intensity and arrival time of sounds at the two ears, interaural intensity and time differences (IID, ITD), are the chief cues for sound localization. Both cues are initially processed in the superior olivary complex (SOC), which projects to the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (DNLL) and the auditory midbrain. Here we present basic response properties of low-frequency (<2 kHz) DNLL neurons and their binaural sensitivity to ITDs and IIDs in the anesthetized gerbil. We found many neurons showing binaural properties similar to those reported for SOC neurons. IID-properties were similar to that of the contralateral lateral superior olive (LSO). A majority of cells had an ITD sensitivity resembling that of either the ipsilateral medial superior olive (MSO) or the contralateral LSO. A smaller number of cells displayed intermediate types of ITD sensitivity. In neurons with MSO-like response ITDs that evoked maximal discharges were mostly outside of the range of ITDs the gerbil naturally experiences. The maxima of the first derivative of their ITD-functions (steepest slope), however, were well within the physiological range of ITDs. This finding is consistent with the concept of a population rather than a place code for ITDs. Moreover, we describe several other binaural properties as well as physiological and anatomical evidence for a small but significant input from the contralateral MSO. The large number of ITD-sensitive low-frequency neurons implicates a substantial role for the DNLL in ITD processing and promotes this nucleus as a suitable model for further studies on ITD-coding.

scholarly journals The distribution of the DHFR genes in trimethoprim-resistant urinary tract isolates from Taiwan

1992 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 453-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin-Li Chang ◽  
Shui-Feng Chang ◽  
Teh-Yuan Chow ◽  
Wen-Jeng Wu ◽  
Jong-Chou Chang
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Dihydrofolate Reductase ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Colony Hybridization ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
High Level ◽  
Type V ◽  
Urinary Isolates ◽  
Level Resistance

SUMMARYBetween July 1987 and June 1989, 1054 urinary isolates of enterobacteria from Kaohsiung, Taiwan were studied for their trimethoprim resistance. Trimethoprim resistance was defined as MIC greater than 4 μg/ml and high-level resistance by MIC greater than 1000 μg/ml. The incidence of trimethoprim resistance increased from 33·6% in 1987 to 42·1% in 1989. Among the resistant strains studied, 90% were resistant to high levels of trimethoprim. An increase in the proportion of resistant strains (33·9–46·3%) exhibiting high-level non-transferable trimethoprim resistance was noted. The distribution of the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) genes by colony hybridization in 374 trimethoprim-resistant isolates revealed the presence of type I and type V DHFR genes in most of these isolates (45·4% and 10·4% respectively). Type I was predominant inEscherichia coliwhereas type V was frequently seen inEnterobacterspp. None showed homology with the type II and type III DHFR probe DNA. In addition, transposon Tn7 was present in 7·8% of 374 trimethoprim-resistant enterobacteria.

Single-Unit Responses in the Inferior Colliculus of Decerebrate Cats I. Classification Based on Frequency Response Maps

1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 152-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramnarayan Ramachandran ◽  
Kevin A. Davis ◽  
Bradford J. May
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Response ◽  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Inferior Colliculus ◽  
Single Unit ◽  
Broadband Noise ◽  
Auditory Information ◽  
Type I ◽  
Rate Level ◽  
Type V ◽  
Decerebrate Cats

This study proposes a classification system for neurons in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) that is based on excitation and inhibition patterns of single-unit responses in decerebrate cats. The decerebrate preparation allowed extensive characterization of physiological response types without the confounding effects of anesthesia. The tone-driven discharge rates of individual units were measured across a range of frequencies and levels to map excitatory and inhibitory response areas for contralateral monaural stimulation. The resulting frequency response maps can be grouped into the following three populations: type V maps exhibit a wide V-shaped excitatory area and no inhibition; type I maps show a more restricted I-shaped region of excitation that is flanked by inhibition at lower and higher frequencies; and type O maps display an O-shaped island of excitation at low stimulus levels that is bounded by inhibition at higher levels. Units that produce a type V map typically have a low best frequency (BF: the most sensitive frequency), a low rate of spontaneous activity, and monotonic rate-level functions for both BF tones and broadband noise. Type I and type O units have BFs that span the cat’s range of audible frequencies and high rates of spontaneous activity. Like type V units, type I units are excited by BF tones and noise at all levels, but their rate-level functions may become nonmonotonic at high levels. Type O units are inhibited by BF tones and noise at high levels. The existence of distinct response types is consistent with a conceptual model in which the unit types receive dominant inputs from different sources and shows that these functionally segregated pathways are specialized to play complementary roles in the processing of auditory information.

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