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Spatial tuning of neurons in the inferior colliculus of the big brown bat: effects of sound level, stimulus type and multiple sound sources

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Abstract

We examined factors that affect spatial receptive fields of single units in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus of Eptesicus fuscus. Pure tones, frequency- or amplitude-modulated sounds, or noise bursts were presented in the free-field, and responses were recorded extracellularly. For 58 neurons that were tested over a 30 dB range of sound levels, 7 (12%) exhibited a change of less than 10° in the center point and medial border of their receptive field. For 28 neurons that were tested with more than one stimulus type, 5 (18%) exhibited a change of less than 10° in the center point and medial border of their receptive field.

The azimuthal response ranges of 19 neurons were measured in the presence of a continuous broadband noise presented from a second loudspeaker set at different fixed azimuthal positions. For 3 neurons driven by a contralateral stimulus only, the effect of the noise was simple masking. For 11 neurons driven by sound at either side, 8 were unaffected by the noise and 1 showed a simple masking effect. For the remaining 2, as well as for 5 neurons that were excited by contralateral sound and inhibited by ipsilateral sound, the peak of the azimuthal response range shifted toward the direction of the noise.

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Abbreviations

E/E :

excitation at either ear

I/E :

inhibition at the ipsilateral ear, excitation at the contralateral ear

O/E :

no effect from the ipsilateral ear, excitation at the contralateral ear

FM↓:

downward frequency modulation

FM↑:

upward frequency modulation

IC :

inferior colliculus

ICC :

central nucleus of the inferior colliculus

ILD :

interaural level difference

ITD :

interaural time difference

PT :

pure tone

SAM :

sinusoidally amplitude modulated sounds

SFM :

sinusoidally frequency modulated sounds

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zoologisches Institut, Universität München, Luisenstrasse 14, D-80333, München, Germany

    B. Grothe

  2. Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, 27710, Durham, NC, USA

    E. Covey & J. H. Casseday

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  1. B. Grothe
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  2. E. Covey
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  3. J. H. Casseday
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Grothe, B., Covey, E. & Casseday, J.H. Spatial tuning of neurons in the inferior colliculus of the big brown bat: effects of sound level, stimulus type and multiple sound sources. J Comp Physiol A 179, 89–102 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00193437

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