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A discontinuous tonotopic organization in the inferior colliculus of the rat

Lookup NU author(s): David Perez Gonzalez

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Abstract

Audible frequencies of sound are encoded in a continuous manner along the length of the cochlea, and frequency is transmitted to the brain as a representation of place on the basilar membrane. The resulting tonotopic map has been assumed to be a continuous smooth progression from low to high frequency throughout the central auditory system. Here, physiological and anatomical data show that best frequency is represented in a discontinuous manner in the inferior colliculus, the major auditory structure of the midbrain. Multiunit maps demonstrate a distinct stepwise organization in the order of best frequency progression. Furthermore, independent data from single neurons show that best frequencies at octave intervals of approximately one-third are more prevalent than others. These data suggest that, in the inferior colliculus, there is a defined space of tissue devoted to a given frequency, and input within this frequency band may be pooled for higher-level processing.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Malmierca MS, Izquierdo MA, Cristaudo S, Hernández O, Pérez-González D, Covey E, Oliver DL

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Journal of Neuroscience

Year: 2008

Volume: 28

Issue: 18

Pages: 4767-4776

Date deposited: 04/08/2010

ISSN (print): 0270-6474

ISSN (electronic): 1529-2401

Publisher: Society for Neuroscience

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0238-08.2008

DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0238-08.2008

PubMed id: 18448653

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