Two thalamic pathways to primary auditory cortex

Abstract Neurons in the center of cat primary auditory cortex (AI) respond to a narrow range of sound frequencies and the preferred frequencies in local neuron clusters are closely aligned in this central narrow bandwidth region (cNB). Response preferences to other input parameters, such as sound in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuroscience 2008-03, Vol.152 (1), p.151-159
Main Authors: Read, H.L, Miller, L.M, Schreiner, C.E, Winer, J.A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic Stimulation
Animals
auditory cortex
Auditory Cortex - cytology
Auditory Pathways - cytology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain Mapping
Cats
Ear and associated structures. Auditory pathways and centers. Hearing. Vocal organ. Phonation. Sound production. Echolocation
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
medial geniculate body
Neurology
Neurons - cytology
parallel pathways
thalamus
Thalamus - cytology
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
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Summary:Abstract Neurons in the center of cat primary auditory cortex (AI) respond to a narrow range of sound frequencies and the preferred frequencies in local neuron clusters are closely aligned in this central narrow bandwidth region (cNB). Response preferences to other input parameters, such as sound intensity and binaural interaction, vary within cNB; however, the source of this variability is unknown. Here we examined whether input to the cNB could arise from multiple, anatomically independent subregions in the ventral nucleus of the medial geniculate body (MGBv). Retrograde tracers injected into cNB labeled discontinuous clusters of neurons in the superior (sMGBv) and inferior (iMGBv) halves of the MGBv. Most labeled neurons were in the sMGBv and their density was greater. iMGBv somata were significantly larger. These findings suggest that cNB projection neurons in superior and iMGBv have distinct anatomic and possibly physiologic organization.
ISSN:0306-4522
1873-7544
DOI:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.11.026