In:
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Acoustical Society of America (ASA), Vol. 112, No. 5_Supplement ( 2002-11-01), p. 2314-2314
Abstract:
Auditory cortex is thought to play a critical role in the processing of species-specific vocalizations and other acoustically complex sounds. Although evolutionary processes strongly constrain cortical sensitivities to sound, cortical processing is not fixed by biology, but rather is shaped by the auditory experiences of each individual. Auditory cortical neurons in adult rats respond selectively to spectrotemporal features of complex sounds. These selective responses are predictive of rats’ behaviorally measured perceptual sensitivities. With extensive training, the abilities of rats to discriminate frequency-modulated sounds improve. Recordings from cortical neurons in trained rats show increased sensitivities to features of the sounds used in training. These results demonstrate that discrimination training with biologically irrelevant complex sounds can change how cortical neurons process those sounds. Changes in cortical processing of complex sounds can also be induced by controlling activity in neuromodulatory neurons while a rat experiences the sounds. Pairing the presentation of complex sounds with electrical stimulation of basal forebrain neurons radically changes cortical sensitivities to spectrotemporal features of those sounds. These data suggest that auditory cortical representations of acoustic events can be flexibly adjusted throughout the lifespan of an individual rate. Presumably, similar or greater flexibility exists in animals with more sophisticated auditory systems.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0001-4966
,
1520-8524
Language:
English
Publisher:
Acoustical Society of America (ASA)
Publication Date:
2002
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1461063-2
