Corticofugal Control of Central Auditory Sensitivity

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IBN-9604238 PI: Jen During sensory signal processing, the brain has the built-in ability to edit and adjust the flow of information that reaches it. It is known that the cortex has neural pathways, called corticofugal pathways, that descend to influence the neural activity carrying information coming up to the cortex by the ascending sensory pathways. We know very little about how and when these descending pathways exert their influence, but in the auditory system they are believed to be important in functions such as pattern recognition and localization of acoustic signals. This project uses a physiological approach to determine how descending cortical pathways can affect the response activity of single auditory nerve cells in a midbrain auditory structure called the superior colliculus. Electrophysiological recordings will examine corticofugal regulation of intensity coding, frequency tuning, and auditory spatial sensitivity of these neurons. This system may be a way for the brain to 'focus in' on important but faint auditory signals in a noisy environment, for example in echolocation behavior. Results from this work will be important for developing a more realistic and dynamic model of central auditory processing. It also will enhance our understanding of active regulation of signal processing by the brain, and so will have a potential impact on understanding other sensory systems, as well as on fields such as neuroethology, animal behavior, and on bioengineering including development of aids for hearing.