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The Journal of Neuroscience, December 15, 2002, 22(24):10891-10897

Direct Projections from Cochlear Nuclear Complex to Auditory Thalamus in the Rat

Manuel S. Malmierca¹, Miguel A. Merchán¹, Craig K. Henkel², and Douglas L. Oliver³

¹ Laboratory for the Neurobiology of Hearing, Institute for Neuroscience of Castilla y León and Faculty of Medicine, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain, ² Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157-1010, and ³ University of Connecticut Health Center, Department of Neuroscience, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-3401

It is known that the dorsal cochlear nucleus and medial geniculate body in the auditory system receive significant inputs from somatosensory and visual-motor sources, but the purpose of such inputs is not totally understood. Moreover, a direct connection of these structures has not been demonstrated, because it is generally accepted that the inferior colliculus is an obligatory relay for all ascending input. In the present study, we have used auditory neurophysiology, double labeling with anterograde tracers, and retrograde tracers to investigate the ascending projections of the cochlear nuclear complex. We demonstrate that the dorsal cochlear nucleus and the small cell cap of the ventral cochlear nucleus have a direct projection to the medial division of the medial geniculate body. These direct projections from the cochlear nucleus complex bypass the inferior colliculus and are widely distributed within the medial division of the medial geniculate, suggesting that the projection is not topographic. As a nonlemniscal auditory pathway that parallels the conventional auditory lemniscal pathway, its functions may be distinct from the perception of sound. Because this pathway links the parts of the auditory system with prominent nonauditory, multimodal inputs, it may form a neural network through which nonauditory sensory and visual-motor systems may modulate auditory information processing.

Key words: medial geniculate body; auditory pathways; lateral lemniscus; brachium of the inferior colliculus; nonlemniscal pathway; double labeling; dextran; multimodal information processing

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Copyright © 2002 Society for Neuroscience  0270-6474/02/222410891-07$05.00/0

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