Perineuronal nets (PNs) are aggregates of extracellular matrix molecules that surround some neurons in the brain. While PNs occur widely across many cortical areas, subcortical PNs are especially associated with motor and auditory systems. The…
The medial geniculate body (MG) receives a large input from the ipsilateral inferior colliculus (IC) and a smaller but substantial input from the contralateral IC. Both crossed and uncrossed inputs comprise a large percentage of glutamatergic cells…
The superior colliculus (SC) contains an auditory space map that is shaped by projections from several subcortical auditory nuclei. Both GABAergic (inhibitory) and excitatory cells contribute to these inputs, but there are contradictory reports…
Tinnitus is the perception of a sound that has no external source. Sound stimuli can suppress spontaneous firing in auditory neurons long after stimulus offset. It is unknown how changes in sound stimulus parameters affect this forward suppression.…
Projections from auditory cortex (AC) affect how cells in both inferior colliculi (IC) respond to acoustic stimuli. The large projection from the AC to the ipsilateral IC is usually credited with the effects in the ipsilateral IC. The circuitry…
Certain retroviruses induce progressive spongiform motor neuron disease with features resembling prion diseases and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. With the neurovirulent murine leukemia virus (MLV) FrCasE, Env protein expression within glia leads to…
Responses of neurons to binaural, harmonic complex stimuli in urethane-anesthetized guinea pig inferior colliculus (IC) are reported. To assess the binaural integration of harmonicity cues for sound segregation and grouping, responses were measured…
The etiology of tinnitus is known to be diverse in the human population. An appropriate animal model of tinnitus should incorporate this pathological diversity. Previous studies evaluating the effect of acoustic over exposure (AOE) have found that…
Hierarchical processing of sensory information requires interaction at multiple levels along the peripheral to central pathway. Recent evidence suggests that interaction between driving and modulating components can shape both top down and bottom up…
Hierarchical processing of sensory information occurs at multiple levels between the peripheral and central pathway. Different extents of convergence and divergence in top down and bottom up projections makes it difficult to separate the various…
The medial geniculate body (MG) receives a large input from the ipsilateral inferior colliculus (IC) and a smaller but substantial input from the contralateral IC. Both crossed and uncrossed inputs comprise a large percentage of glutamatergic cells…
Located in the midbrain, the inferior colliculus (IC) is the hub of the central auditory system. Although the IC plays important roles in speech processing, sound localization, and other auditory computations, the organization of the IC…
Age-related hearing loss may result, in part, from declining levels of γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) in the aging inferior colliculus (IC). An upregulation of the GABAAR γ1 subunit, which has been shown to increase sensitivity to GABA, occurs in the…
Age-related hearing loss may result, in part, from declining levels of gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) in the aging inferior colliculus (IC). An upregulation of the GABA(A)R gamma(1) subunit, which has been shown to increase sensitivity to GABA,…
We examined aspects of hearing in the red bat (Lasiurus borealis) related to its use of biosonar. Evoked potential audiograms, obtained from volume-conducted auditory brainstem responses, were obtained in two bats, and the sound pressure…
This study examined projections to combination-sensitive neurons in the medial geniculate body of the mustached bat, These specialized neurons respond to the combination of two temporally and spectrally distinct components of the bat's sonar pulse…
Perceptual learning (training-induced performance improvement) can be elicited by task-irrelevant stimulus exposure in humans. In contrast, task-irrelevant stimulus exposure in animals typically disrupts perception in juveniles while causing little…
Age-related hearing loss, one of the most frequently diagnosed disabilities in industrialized countries, may result from declining levels of GABA in the aging inferior colliculus (IC). However, the mechanisms of aging and subsequent disruptions of…
The intercollicular region, which lies between the inferior and superior colliculi in the midbrain, contains neurons that respond to auditory, visual, and somatosensory stimuli. Golgi studies have been used to parse this region into three distinct…
Sound localization critically relies on brainstem neurons that compare information from the two ears. The conventional role of the lateral superior olive (LSO) is extraction of intensity differences; however, it is increasingly clear that relative…
Sound localization critically relies on brainstem neurons that compare information from the two ears. The conventional role of the lateral superior olive (LSO) is extraction of intensity differences; however, it is increasingly clear that relative…
Temporal precision, a key component of sound and speech processing in the inferior colliculus (IC), depends on a balance of inhibition and excitation, and this balance degrades during aging. The cause of disrupted excitatory-inhibitory balance in…
Located in the midbrain, the inferior colliculus (IC) plays an essential role in many auditory computations, including speech processing and sound localization. The right and left sides of the IC are interconnected by a dense fiber tract, the…
Sound localization critically relies on brainstem neurons that compare information from the two ears. The conventional role of the lateral superior olive (LSO) is extraction of intensity differences; however, it is increasingly clear that relative…
