Auditory midbrain neurons that count
- 3 September 2002
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Nature Neuroscience
- Vol. 5 (10), 934-936
- https://doi.org/10.1038/nn916
Abstract
Many acoustic communication signals, including human speech and music, consist of a precise temporal arrangement of discrete elements, but it is unclear whether this precise temporal patterning is required to activate the sensory neurons that mediate signal recognition. In a variety of systems, neurons respond selectively when two or more sound elements are presented in a particular temporal order and the precise relative timing of these elements is particularly important for 'delay-tuned' neurons, including 'tracking' types, in bats. Here we show that one class of auditory neurons in the midbrain of anurans (frogs and toads) responds only to a series of specific interpulse intervals (IPIs); in the most selective cases, a single interval that is slightly longer or shorter than the requisite interval can reset this interval-counting process.Keywords
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