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Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 12, 3200-3216, Copyright © 1992 by Society for Neuroscience
A comparison of the interaural time sensitivity of neurons in the inferior colliculus and thalamus of the unanesthetized rabbit
TR Stanford, S Kuwada and R Batra
Department of Anatomy, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington 06032.
The localization of low-frequency sounds (less than 3 kHz) along the
azimuth involves comparing the ongoing difference in the time of arrival of
a sound at the two ears. Information about interaural time differences
(ITDs) is derived from an initial comparison performed in the superior
olivary complex. However, little is known about which aspects of this
information are transformed as it ascends the brainstem. To address this
issue, we compared the ITD sensitivity of neurons in the inferior
colliculus (IC) and auditory thalamus, successive stations in the auditory
pathway. We found ITD sensitivity in the IC and thalamus to be similar in
several respects. At both levels, the large majority of neurons responded
maximally to ITDs within the range that a rabbit would normally encounter
(+/- 300 microseconds) and preferred ipsilateral delays, delays that would
be created by sounds in the contralateral sound field. The range of
frequencies over which ITD sensitivity was expressed was also similar in
the midbrain and thalamus. Several differences were also apparent. In
comparison to IC neurons, neurons in the thalamus responded over more
restricted ranges of ITD, responded at lower rates, and, in response to
monaural stimulation, showed an increased influence of inhibition. Finally,
a greater proportion of thalamic units had characteristic delays
corresponding to intermediate discharge rates. The preservation of a bias
for ipsilateral delays from IC to thalamus suggests that a representation
of contralateral azimuths is present at both levels. Similarities between
the two levels suggest that information about ITDs is faithfully
transmitted from midbrain to thalamus. Differences in ITD sensitivity, such
as the sharper tuning for ITDs, suggest that the thalamus is not a simple
relay. Enhanced sensitivity to ITDs should translate to better-defined
azimuthal receptive fields, and therefore may be a step toward achieving an
optimal representation of azimuth within the auditory pathway.
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