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The Journal of Neuroscience, June 1, 1998, 18(11):4233-4243
Pinna Movements of the Cat during Sound Localization
Luis C.
Populin and
Tom C. T.
Yin
Neuroscience Training Program and Department of Neurophysiology,
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
 |
ABSTRACT |
We measured the movements of the external ear, or pinna, using the
magnetic search coil technique in cats trained to look at auditory and
visual targets for a food reward. No behavioral contingencies were
placed on pinna movements. Prominent pinna movements accompany eye
movements when the animal orients to either auditory or visual stimuli.
In visual trials the pinna movements are coordinated with eye
movements, suggesting that they are part of the general orientation
response of the animal. In auditory trials the pinna response was
composed of two movements: short- and long-latency components. Whereas
the long-latency component seemed to occur with the eye movement to the
target, the short-latency component was coupled to the onset of the
stimulus. The short-latency component (~25 msec) was highly
asymmetrical, being largest in the pinna ipsilateral to the stimuli. In
one animal it persisted after >105 trials.
Key words:
cat; external ear; pinna movements; sound localization; orientation response; auditory and visual stimuli
 |
INTRODUCTION |
Acoustical evidence and
psychophysical evidence indicate that the pinna plays an important role
in sound localization, particularly for sources on the midsagittal
plane that generate minimal interaural disparities. The passive
acoustical properties of this structure, along with the head and torso,
attenuate or amplify specific frequencies in a directional manner
(Wiener et al., 1966
; Phillips et al., 1982
; Calford and Pettigrew,
1984
; Musicant et al., 1990
; Rice et al., 1992
), which for broadband
signals results in unique spectral profiles that are known as
head-related transfer functions (HRTFs). Which spectral features
(notches, peaks, or some combination) imposed by the pinna are used to
help determine the location of sound remain to be determined
(Middlebrooks, 1992
).
In humans, a species with relatively immobile ears, the HRTF is coupled
to head position, resulting in a one-to-one correspondence between the
spectral profile of broadband sources and the subject's head (Wightman
and Kistler, 1989
). In species with mobile ears such as the cat, the
pinnae can be oriented independently of head position, breaking the
one-to-one correspondence between acoustic sources and the head. The
question arises, therefore, regarding what role (if any) the mobility
of the pinna plays in sound localization in these species.
On the one hand the mobility of the pinna may complicate the
localization process by increasing the computational load, because the
position of the structure must be taken into account. On the other
hand, it can aid localization by allowing the animal (1) to obtain
multiple samples of an acoustic object (Thurlow and Runge, 1967
) and
(2) to separate the spectrum of a sound source from the HRTF (Young et
al., 1996
).
Despite the potential implications of pinna movements for sound
localization (Phillips and Brugge, 1985
), the functional role of pinna
movements has received little attention, judging by the extent of
published experimental work. There is direct evidence of an effect of
pinna position on the receptive fields of superior colliculus (SC)
auditory neurons (Middlebrooks and Knudsen, 1987
), but the available
behavioral evidence is indirect and contradictory. Heffner and Heffner
(1988)
assumed that long-duration stimuli would allow time for the
animal to move its pinnae, but they found no difference in localization
acuity between short- and long-duration stimuli in the cat. On the
other hand, Jenkins and Masterton (1982)
found that monaural
localization improved with long-duration stimuli. In none of the
previous studies was the amplitude or timing of pinna movements
measured despite their potential for modifying the acoustic
stimuli.
In the present work we recorded pinna movements in cats while they
performed various sound localization tasks (Populin and Yin, 1998
).
Because of difficulties in measuring absolute pinna position, our
analyses focused on the temporal aspects of these movements.
Preliminary results have been presented in abstract form (Populin and
Yin, 1997a
).
 |
MATERIALS AND METHODS |
A detailed description of the training paradigm and experimental
procedures is found in a preceding paper (Populin and Yin, 1998
).
Briefly, using the magnetic search coil technique (Fuchs and Robinson,
1966
) to measure eye movements, we trained cats to look at the location
of sound sources with their heads fixed. Auditory and visual stimuli
were presented from an array of speaker and light-emitting diode (LED)
assemblies located in front of the cat. Acoustic stimuli were broadband
(0.1-25 kHz) noise bursts. The animals were food-deprived and rewarded
when their eyes were within electronic windows surrounding the
targets.
A typical session included a random mixture of various experimental
tasks: visual and auditory fixations, standard and delayed saccades,
and sensory probes. Not all tasks were used in every experimental
session, but a variety was always presented to prevent the cat from
anticipating upcoming trials.
Pinna movements recorded during standard and delayed saccades to visual
and auditory targets (Populin and Yin, 1998
) and auditory sensory probe
trials are included in this report. In the standard saccade task the
cat was required to first fixate an LED at the primary position
(0°,0°) and then saccade to a spatially disparate visual or
auditory target presented at the time the fixation LED was turned off.
In the delayed saccade task the target was presented some time
(500-700 msec) before the offset of the fixation LED, which
constituted the signal for the cat to saccade. In sensory probe trials
the fixation LED remained on for the entire duration, and the cat was
expected to fixate it, even when an acoustic probe was presented during
the fixation period. In saccade trials the cat was rewarded for making
a saccade to the target within specified spatial and temporal windows
(Populin and Yin, 1998
), whereas in sensory probe trials the cat was
rewarded for not breaking fixation. No behavioral contingencies were
placed on pinna movements in any task.
Coil implant. Pinna movements were routinely recorded
with coils anchored to the pinna. We considered two options for
attaching the coil to the ear: taping the coil to the external aspect
of the pinna before each session (Jay and Sparks, 1987
; Hartline et
al., 1995
) and implanting it under the skin. We chose the latter because it permitted more stable recordings than a removable coil, which was subject to slippage during an experiment; it maximized reproducibility, because it would be impossible to attach the coil in
the same position day after day; it minimized noise from loose leads;
and it minimized discomfort for the cat, which is very particular about
its pinnae. The disadvantages of implanting the coil were the potential
for damaging the musculature, innervation, or blood supply and
restricting pinna movements with taut coil leads. None of the cats
implanted with this procedure showed any signs of discomfort or
impaired pinna function. Furthermore, postmortem inspection indicated
that the coil was firmly held in place. We conclude that the
disadvantages were kept to a minimum.
The search coils were implanted subcutaneously under sterile surgical
conditions at the same time that the head restraint was attached. In
Cat06 we implanted the coil on the flat, medial aspect of the right
pinna, because it would help preserve the geometry of the coil (Fig.
1, right ear) (see Figs. 7,
10). However, the resulting position of the coil was far from
perpendicular to the magnetic fields and complicated the calibration
procedure. The phase detectors of our magnetic search coil system (CNC
Engineering) produce an output signal that is a sinusoidal function of
angle; thus the output is highly nonlinear when the coil is oriented
30° from the coronal plane. In subsequent cats we implanted the coils more caudally in the pinna, as close to the coronal plane as
possible within the limitations imposed by its geometry (Fig. 1,
left ear; see Figs. 4-6, 8, 9).

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Figure 1.
Posterior view of a cat's head illustrating the
two coil positions used in these experiments. On the
right the coil is shown in the flat medial aspect of the
pinna, whereas on the left the coil is shown as far
caudal on the pinna as possible. The vectors illustrate the convention
used to describe changes in pinna position from a viewpoint directly
behind the cat pointed in the same direction as the nose.
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A 6-7 mm incision was made in the skin, and a pocket large enough to
house the coil was dissected. Each coil was 10 mm in diameter and made
of three turns of AS633 fine wire (Cooner Wire Co.). Precautions were
taken to avoid damaging the delicate muscles, their innervation, or
blood supply. The leads from the coils were routed loosely, so as not
to tether the pinna, underneath the skin to the top of the head where
they were soldered to brass connectors (Microtech Inc., Boothwyn, PA)
embedded in dental cement near the head post.
To calibrate the pinna coils we made use of the observation that the
cats would generally orient their pinnae to a more or less standard
position when they fixated a visual stimulus at the primary position
(0°,0°). The calibrations were then made around this position. The
orientation of each pinna coil when the cat fixated at (0°,0°) was
estimated by eye during behavioral testing with a calibrating ring
(Fig. 2, cr). This ring, made of malleable copper wire, was carefully manipulated to overlie the
implanted coil, the contour of which could be seen while the cat was
fixating an LED at the primary position. Once the orientation of the
ring was judged to match that of the pinna coil, the cat was removed
from the experimental setup, and the angular deviation of the ring from
the coronal plane was measured. A dummy coil, physically matched to
those implanted, was placed at the same orientation in the center of
the field coils and rotated along the x- and
y-axes separately, over a range of ±20°. The voltage output of the coil system was sampled at 10° intervals, and the data
points relating angular deviation and voltage output were fit with
linear equations. The coefficients were used by the data analysis
programs to transform the voltage output of the actual pinna coil into
angular deviation.

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Figure 2.
Images of a pinna movement to a visual target.
Posterior views of Cat08's head from video recordings taken during an
experimental session. Spon, Fix, and
Down images were taken at the following points: during
the spontaneous period before the onset of the trial
(Spon), during the fixation period while fixating an LED
at the primary position (Fix), and after the cat
saccaded to the target (Down). The gray-white structure
labeled hh is the head holder, and the structure labeled
cr is the calibrating ring. Triangular
markers were placed on the tip, medial, and lateral edges of
each pinna, and the white dot on the right pinna marks
the center of the implanted coil. Composite shows all
three images superimposed in different colors (Spon,
blue; Fix, red; Down,
green).
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Data analysis. The onset of pinna movement was determined
with a criterion similar to the one used previously for eye movements (Populin and Yin, 1998
). Pinna movement onset was defined as the time
at which the velocity trace was >2 SD of the mean velocity baseline,
from 125 msec before to 5 msec after the onset of the stimulus. The
horizontal and vertical components were computed separately, and the
component with the shorter latency was chosen for analyses. Because of
the small amplitude of some pinna movements and large first derivatives
of the noise in the traces of some trials, we had to override the
objective criterion and pick the onset of movement by eye in
~15-20% of the trials. A 2 msec acoustic delay was subtracted from
all latency measurements. Statistical analyses are presented as means
and confidence intervals.
 |
RESULTS |
Pinna movement data from six different cats were collected while
they engaged in sound localization tasks in which they were free to
move their ears (Populin and Yin, 1998
). In all figures the 0° on the
ordinate scale was arbitrarily set to approximate the position of the
pinna at the time the cat fixated the LED at the primary position for
that recording session. Thus, the scales measure changes in pinna
position rather than absolute position.
Pinna movements to visual targets from two-dimensional
video images
We begin with videotaped images of a cat's pinnae to provide a
qualitative reference for the pinna movements measured by the search
coil method. Shown in Figure 2 are posterior views of Cat08's head
illustrating the position of the pinnae during various phases of a
downward visual saccade. These images were selected from a video
recording of an experimental session. The camera was positioned behind
the cat, slightly to the right of the sagittal plane, and above the
interaural axis. The gray structure labeled hh in Figure 2
is the head holder, and the circular structure labeled cr is a calibrating ring, both of which are stationary in these images (see
Materials and Methods).
To better track pinna position, triangular markers were attached to the
tip and medial and lateral edges of each pinna, and a white reference
dot was painted on the skin at the center of the implanted coil.
Changes in pinna position in these figures (Fig. 1, bottom)
are described as changes in yaw (left or right movements around the
vertical axis), pitch (up or down movements around the horizontal
axis), and roll (movements around the longitudinal axis of the
cat).
During a typical behavioral run there was a fixed intertrial interval
(5-10 sec) during which the cat was usually licking the reward from
the previous trial. When the cat anticipated that the next trial was
about to begin, it usually looked near the primary position and pulled
its pinnae into a ready position. The Spon image in Figure 2
was taken during this period, which we reserve for spontaneous activity
in physiological recordings. The second image (Fig. 2, Fix)
was taken while the cat was fixating the LED at the primary position,
seen in the figure as a red dot. The third image (Fig. 2,
Down) was taken after the cat had made a downward saccade to
the LED at (0°,
23°). These images were selected from frames
corresponding to each part of the task after the pinna had settled to a
new position.
To show the relative movements of the pinna during these three
sequences, we superimposed the three images in Figure 2,
Composite. This figure was generated by decomposing each of
the three images into its red, green, and blue components using Corel
Photo Paint, keeping only one of the color components of each image
(blue for Spon, red for Fix, and green
for Down) and recombining them into a single image. In this way, the
parts of the figure that remain stationary in all three images appear
in their original color, and those that move appear in the color of the
retained image or some combination of colors. The relative changes in
pinna position can thus be seen in a single composite image.
Using the blue portion of the image from the spontaneous period as a
reference, we will track the changes in pinna position throughout the
sequence (Fig. 2). Notice that the dot marking the center of the coil
is below the calibrating ring in the Spon period and is seen as a faint
blue dot in the Composite image. In the Fix period the right pinna
rolled laterally, as can be seen by the triangular markers on the
pinna, and pitched slightly downward, as indicated by the shift in the
position of the reference dot, which at this point is inside the lower
edge of the calibrating ring. The left pinna also rolled laterally,
although the details of its movement are obscured by the head
holder.
In the last part of the task an LED was presented below the horizontal
plane at (0°,
23°). The right pinna rolled further to the right
and pitched downward, as indicated by the reference dot at the center
of the calibrating ring and the almost complete disappearance of the
medial triangular marker. The change in position of the left pinna
appears to mirror that of the right pinna.
Figure 3 shows composite images analogous
to the one in Figure 2 for the other three targets with the same color
convention. In Figure 3, top (for a target to the right at
18°,0°) the fixation LED is shown in red, whereas the target LED in
green is also visible to the right. As in Figure 2, the right pinna
rolled laterally between the spontaneous (blue) and fixation
(red) periods. The target LED evoked an outward (yaw)
movement to the right, as indicated by the green triangular marker in
the medial aspect of the right pinna that has almost disappeared from
view, the lateral marker that is more visible, and the medial movement
of the reference dot (red to green) inside the
calibrating ring. On the other hand, there was little change in the
position of the left pinna throughout the entire trial, because the
triangular markers are mostly white.

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Figure 3.
Composite figures illustrating the changes in
pinna position when the cat saccaded to targets to the
Right, Left, and Up.
Details as in Figure 2.
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The initial part of the sequence for the Left target
(
18°,0°) (Fig. 3) started with both pinnae rolled more laterally
than in the previous case (blue image). The red image, taken
during the fixation period, shows that the pinnae rolled slightly
medially. The magnitude of the displacement is similar in both pinnae.
The visual target presented 18° to the left evoked different
movements on the two sides; the contralateral right pinna rolled
slightly to the left between the fixation and saccade period, as
suggested by the almost superimposed red and green markers (which
together appear yellow), whereas the left pinna rolled further
medially.
The Up target sequence (Fig. 3) shows that the two pinnae
moved asymmetrically, although the target was on the midline at 18°
above the horizontal. The position of the right pinna changed very
little between the spontaneous and fixation periods, as seen by the
overlap of the triangular markers. In the last part of the sequence,
after the cat saccaded to the target, the lower position of the green
reference dot indicates that the pinna pitched upward in the direction
of the target. The small change in the position of the triangular
markers, compared with the change in the position of the reference dot,
indicates that the main rotation was accompanied by displacements that
maintained the most distal part of the pinna in a relatively constant
position as it pitched upward. The left pinna also showed little
movement between the spontaneous and fixation stages but a more
pronounced change in pitch in the upward direction of the distal end of
the pinna, judging by the amount of downward displacement of the green
markers.
These series of images illustrate (1) that the pinna moved in the
general direction of the target; (2) that the movements of both pinnae
were not necessarily symmetrical for horizontal or vertical targets;
and (3) that in some instances, the pinna response was the result of
combined complex rotations and displacements.
Magnetic search coil recordings of pinna movements to
visual targets
Video recording of pinna movements (Figs. 2, 3) was done for
illustrative purposes only; for routine recordings of pinna movements we used the magnetic search coil. Our coil system can only measure yaw
(horizontal) and pitch (vertical) changes in coil position; thus it has
limitations for the study of pinna movements because the structure
moves in a complex manner in three-dimensional space. The data in
Figure 4, which were recorded during the
videotaping session that produced the images shown in Figures 2 and 3,
demonstrate that the two-dimensional search coil technique can provide
a first approximation of the magnitude of pinna movements and precise information about their timing. The coil from which these recordings were obtained was implanted in Cat08's right pinna using the caudal approach (Fig. 1, left).

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Figure 4.
Pinna movement traces to visual targets from
Cat08's right pinna. Each panel plots the vertical
(top) and horizontal (bottom) component
of pinna position synchronized to the onset of the target LED (lit for
1000 msec) at time 0 msec. The targets were located at (±18°,0°),
(0°,18°), and (0°, 23°). Traces from several trials, including
those shown in Figures 2 and 3, are plotted. The
ordinates of these plots, as well as those of similar
plots in subsequent figures, represent relative and not absolute pinna
position.
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In all cases visual saccades started from a fixation LED at the primary
position (0°,0°) to targets located at the four positions indicated
above. The onset of the fixation LED usually occurred between
1200
and
900 msec, depending on how long it took the cat to enter the
fixation window. There was more variability in pinna position during
the spontaneous period before fixation onset than during the fixation
period (between approximately
900 and 0 msec), indicating that the
pinna adopted a more consistent position during the fixation of the LED
at the primary position. This reduction in the spread is present in
most traces. Notice that the pinnae did not assume random positions or
seem to show periodic scanning movements.
The appearance of the visual targets evoked well defined consistent
responses of the pinna in the direction of the sources. The amplitude
of these movements did not match the eccentricity of the targets that
evoked them: targets located 18° or 23° away from the primary
position yielded pinna movements of ~10° (Fig. 4). Movements had
both vertical and horizontal components, with the larger ones taking
place along the axis on which the target was located. Finally, the
movements were not symmetrical; movements of the right pinna were
larger for the ipsilateral and upward targets than for the
contralateral and downward targets, respectively. It is important to
point out, however, that the movements measured by the coil depend on
the placement of the coil on the pinna. For example, there are marked
differences between these movements and those shown in Figure
5. Of course, these differences could also be attributable to differences in pinna movements between cats.

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Figure 5.
Movements of Cat09's right pinna evoked by
visual (left) and auditory
(right) targets recorded with the standard saccade task.
The fixation LED was at the primary position (0°,0°) in all cases,
and the targets were at (±18°,0°), (0°,18°), and
(0°, 14°). All traces are plotted synchronized to the onset of the
stimulus at Time, 0 msec.
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Pinna movements to auditory and visual targets
The pinna movement data shown in the previous figures were
recorded during the course of standard saccade trials to visual stimuli
presented within the cat's oculomotor range. In this section we
compare pinna movements with both visual and auditory targets.
Plotted in Figure 5 are Cat09's right pinna movements recorded during
standard saccade trials with a coil implanted in the caudal aspect of
the structure (Fig. 1, left). The pinna movements that
followed the onset of the visual stimulus were similar to those in
Cat08 (Fig. 4); the largest component of movement was along the axis of
the target and there was a similar asymmetry.
The broadband noise stimulus also evoked pinna movements in the
direction of the sources (Fig. 5). Although these movements resemble
those with equivalent visual targets, i.e., they are goal-directed and
somewhat asymmetric, there are some marked differences between the
pinna movements to visual and auditory targets. The major difference is
that acoustically evoked movements have shorter latencies than those
evoked by visual targets. The mean latency of the pinna movements to
the visual target at (18°,0°) was 242.8 msec (SD, ±62.6 msec),
whereas the mean to the auditory target at the same position was 34.6 msec (SD, ±15 msec). The mean latency of saccadic eye movements to the
same visual target (234.7 msec; SD, ±33 msec) suggests that the eye
and ear begin to move together and that pinna movements might be a part
of a general orienting reflex.
We correlated the shortest pinna latency with eye movement latency in
standard saccade trials to auditory and visual targets located on the
ipsilateral side of the pinna at an eccentricity of 18°. Such data,
from five different cats (Cat06, Cat09, Cat10, Cat11, and Cat14), are
plotted in Figure 6. The mean latency of pinna movements to auditory targets is significantly shorter than the
mean latency of pinna movements to visual targets
(p < 0.001). The slope of the regression line
for auditory data (0.03; r = 0.16) indicates that there
is no relationship between the onset of pinna (26.5 msec; SD, 15.2 msec) and eye (265.6 msec; SD, 77.8 msec) movements for these targets.
On the other hand the slope of the line for the visual data (0.75;
r = 0.68) indicates that the onset of eye (mean, 233.8 msec; SD, 87.2 msec) and pinna movements (262.8 msec; SD, 96.2 msec)
are related.

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Figure 6.
Pinna movement latency to auditory and visual
targets. Measurements, taken from visual and auditory standard saccade
trials to targets ipsilateral to the pinna at (±18°,0°), are
plotted as a function of eye movement latency. Data from five cats
(Cat06, Cat09, Cat10, Cat11, and Cat14) are included;
n = 249 (126 auditory trials and 123 visual trials;
7 trials with latencies >500 msec were excluded).
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Pinna movements to delayed saccade and sensory probe tasks
The results of Figure 6 suggest that pinna movements to auditory
targets are coupled to the onset of the target, not to the eye
movement. To confirm this observation, we also studied pinna movements
using the delayed saccade task in which the eye movements are
temporally dissociated from the target onset (Fig.
7). This allowed us to separate pinna
movements that resulted from the presentation of a stimulus from those
associated with the animal's orientation. The first part of the task,
the fixation period before target presentation (time < 0), was
identical in both the visual and auditory conditions. After the eyes
acquired the fixation LED at (0°,0°), the pinna remained in a
stationary position that was generally consistent from trial to trial.
During the delay period the behavior of the eyes was similar in both
visual and auditory conditions; they remained on the fixation LED, but
the pinna behaved differently. In visual trials the pinna remained stationary during the entire 500 msec period in which the fixation light and the target overlapped and moved at about the same time the
eyes started to move to the target after the fixation LED was turned
off. In auditory trials the response of the pinna exhibited two
components: one prominent and abrupt with very short latency (Fig. 7,
filled arrows; mean, 21 msec; SE, ±2.2 msec) that was time-locked to target onset and another smaller and later at
approximately the time of eye movement onset (open
arrows).

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Figure 7.
Pinna movements in delayed saccade trials. Visual
and auditory targets were located at (18°,0°). The coil was
implanted on the flat aspect of Cat06's right pinna (Fig. 1,
right). From top to
bottom: Horizontal eye position and
Vertical and Horizontal pinna position.
Delay duration, 500 msec. Notice the short-latency (solid
arrows) and long-latency (open arrows) pinna
movements in the auditory condition; n = 16 (8 visual and 8 auditory trials).
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The short-latency component was also revealed by the auditory sensory
probe task, which required the cat to maintain fixation on an LED
without an eye movement, thereby excluding the second component of the
pinna response. To the cat the initial segments of delayed saccade
(Fig. 7) and sensory probe (Fig. 8)
trials are identical. Because eye movements to the target were not
required, these sensory probe trials also enabled us to measure pinna
movements to more eccentric targets, outside the cat's oculomotor
range.

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Figure 8.
Short-latency component of pinna movements during
sensory probe trials. Acoustic broadband (800 msec, broadband noise)
probes were presented in random trials from speakers located at
(±90°,0°), (±63°,0°), (±45°,0°), (±18°,0°),
(±9°,0°), and (0°,0°) while the cat fixated an LED at
(0°,0°). The end of the movement traces coincided with the delivery
of the reward 200 msec after stimulus offset. Notice in the conditions
with the largest movements that the pinna returns to the initial
position shortly after stimulus offset. For both left and right pinnae
the trials corresponding to contralateral speaker positions at ±90°,
±63°, and ±45° were recorded in a different session than the rest
of the data.
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Figure 8 illustrates Cat14's pinna movements of both the left and
right ears recorded with coils implanted with the caudal approach. The
noise stimuli evoked prominent and consistent short-latency pinna
movements that were largest for stimuli on the ipsilateral side. Note
that the movements of the pinnae were graded as a function of speaker
position, with the largest and smallest movements evoked by the most
eccentric ipsilateral and contralateral probes, respectively. In these
trials, the duration of the noise stimulus was 800 msec, and the reward
was delivered 200 msec after the noise was turned off. Note that the
large pinna movements to the most eccentric stimuli returned toward the
central position after the offset of the noise.
We measured the latencies of pinna movements evoked by acoustic stimuli
presented from different positions along the horizontal plane when the
cat was fixating the LED at (0°,0°) and did not move its eyes (Fig.
8). Figure 9 includes results from
Cat14's data shown in Figure 8 and from Cat11. Cat14's mean response
latencies across all speaker positions were 24.5 msec (SD, ±9.7 msec;
n = 176) for the left pinna and 23.4 msec (SD, ±11.1
msec; n = 166) for the right ear. The latencies were
significantly longer for the most peripheral targets compared with the
central one on both the ipsilateral and contralateral side, as
evidenced by the lack of overlap of the confidence intervals in Figure
9.

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Figure 9.
Latencies of pinna movements evoked by broadband
long-duration acoustic stimuli during sensory probe trials. The bars
represent confidence intervals (2 × SEM). Cat14,
342 trials (132 left pinna, 210 right pinna), raw data are shown in
Figure 8. Cat11, 195 trials (93 left pinna, 102 right
pinna).
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Another characteristic of the short-latency component was its lack of
habituation. In Cat06, the subject with the longest tenure in our
studies, it was observed after >105 trials.
Pinna movements are goal-oriented
All cats that participated in our studies showed pinna movements
in both visual and auditory trials that appeared to be goal-oriented. The data presented in Figures 2-6 show that the cats moved their pinnae purposely and consistently toward the stimulus. Furthermore, they seemed to be moving the ear to a particular position, regardless of the initial pinna position, as illustrated by the adjustments the
cat made in some of the trials shown in Figure 5, in which the pinna
was clearly in an anomalous position during the fixation period. In
these trials the pinna was not in its usual position at the time the
visual or auditory target came on, and the resulting pinna movement
compensated for the unusual initial position, in some cases by moving
in the opposite direction from the majority of the movements. Similar
observations are found among the trials shown in Figure 8.
The consistent position of the pinna during the fixation period in the
data shown in Figure 7 allowed us to compare the amplitude of the
movements between the auditory and visual conditions. The mean
amplitude of the pinna movements shown in Figure 7 to targets at
(18°,0°) and (9°,0°) are plotted in Figure
10. The overlap of the confidence
intervals suggests that the final pinna position in visual and auditory
trials is similar, given a consistent starting position. Notice that in
both cases the change in position is a weak function of target
eccentricity.

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Figure 10.
Relative changes in pinna position evoked by
visual (hollow symbols) and auditory
(filled symbols) targets located at (18°,0°)
and (9°,0°) in delayed saccade trials; data from Figure 7 are
included. The mean pinna position at the start of the trials
(filled star) has been arbitrarily set at
coordinates (0°,0°). Circles represent the change in
pinna position for the targets at (9°,0°); triangles
represent the change in pinna position for the targets at (18°,0°);
and the standard bars represent ±2 SE of the sample mean;
n = 62 (23 visual and 39 auditory trials).
|
|
Pinna movements to visual targets are not the result
of training
Because our experimental design incorporates both auditory and
visual trials (Populin and Yin, 1998
), we were able to study the
behavior of the pinna while the cat oriented to nonacoustic targets.
Our findings confirm the observations of Joseph and Boussaud (1985)
,
who reported that cat eye movements to visual targets were accompanied
by electromyographic discharges in pinna muscles.
The consistency of the pinna movements to visual targets raised the
possibility that they might be the result of some aspect of the
training program used to teach cats to look at the location of sound
sources (Populin and Yin, 1998
). We examined the first trial of the
first experimental session of three subjects (Cat09, Cat11, and Cat15),
and in all cases the cats moved their pinnae in the direction of the
visual target as they oriented.
 |
DISCUSSION |
Methodological considerations
Both the limitations and the strengths of this study concern the
use of the magnetic search coil. The technique is restrictive for
measuring pinna movements because (1) the structure moves in three
dimensions, whereas our coil system measures movements around two axes
only; and (2) the position of the coil on the pinna places it outside
of the linear range of the system. On the other hand, with the system
interfaced to a computer that allows fast sampling rates, pinna
movements can be recorded with a time resolution not available with
conventional video.
Coil calibration
As described in Materials and Methods, the magnetic search coil
system is optimal when the coil is positioned in the coronal plane.
Anatomical considerations, however, prevent the pinna coils from being
implanted in that position. Therefore, we took advantage of the cat's
habit of orienting the pinnae in a standard position while fixating an
LED at the primary position and made our calibrations about that
position. Such a procedure is essential for proper calibration.
Previous measurements of cat pinna movements using the search coil
technique by Hartline et al. (1995)
have not mentioned any calibration
procedure so it is difficult to determine how they converted the
voltage output of the coil system to degrees.
Pinna movements and two-dimensional movement recordings
The limitations of the calibration procedure, coupled with the
uncertainty along which axis the pinna is moving, limit our interpretation of the measurements to relative changes in pinna position along the yaw and pitch axes. The simultaneous recordings of
pinna movements with the magnetic search coil and videotape indicate
that the main aspects of the movements are nevertheless recorded.
On the other hand, we are confident of our measurements of the timing
of pinna movements. In this case, the actual position of the coil, not
quite in the coronal plane, worked to our advantage, because rolling
(lateral) movements of the pinna also produce movement components of
yaw and pitch, which we can detect. Thus it is unlikely that we missed
any pinna movements, although we cannot claim to determine their
precise type.
Pinna movements during sound localization
The primary goal of this study was to characterize the behavior of
the cat's pinna during sound localization. When the cat anticipated
that the start of a trial was imminent, it looked toward the center and
moved its pinnae to a ready position. A similar behavior has been
reported by May and Huang (1996)
in the conditioned head-free cat
before the presentation of a target and by Heffner and Heffner (1982)
in an elephant trained in a left-right discrimination task. Just
before starting a trial, the elephant extended its pinnae
perpendicularly to its head, to return them to their resting position
while executing the response with its trunk. Significantly, this pinna
behavior was not observed during threshold experiments conducted before
and after the discrimination experiment, suggesting that it was
specific to the task that required a localization judgment.
The extent to which the behavior of the cats of May and Huang (1996)
and the elephant of Heffner and Heffner (1982)
is analogous to the
behavior of our cat's pinnae is debatable given the differences between the species and experimental paradigms, but the similarities are intriguing. It appears as if both species, as they prepared to
localize sound, pulled their pinnae to a position that provided some
acoustical advantage. Bringing the pinnae to a standard position when
certain of having to localize the source of a sound could be a
simplifying strategy that could facilitate localization (Young et al.,
1996
).
The question, therefore, arises as to whether a standard pinna position
is required for accurate localization. Our sound localization data show
that cats are able to localize acoustic targets starting from different
fixation positions (Populin, 1996
; Populin and Yin, 1997b
) that are
associated with different pinna positions, thus indicating that a
standard pinna position is not required for accurate localization.
Furthermore, the amplitude of pinna movements in our data range up to
~20°, which is within the range of different ear positions studied
by Young et al. (1996)
. Therefore, we would expect that our cats
experienced similar changes in acoustic input from stationary sources
as illustrated in their study.
Neural mechanisms of pinna control
Pinna movements to auditory targets are stereotyped and
consistent, goal-oriented, and have shorter latencies than to
corresponding visual targets. They consist of two parts: a
short-latency component time-locked to the onset of the sound and a
second long-latency component that is highly correlated with the eye
movement and may be part of the animal's general orientation behavior
(Schaefer, 1970
; Stein and Clamann, 1981
; Hartline et al., 1995
).
The distinct characteristics of each component of pinna movement
suggest that they may be controlled separately. The close association
between eye and pinna movements to visual targets is consistent with
electrical stimulation of the SC, which evokes coordinated movements of
the eyes, pinna, and whiskers (Stein and Clamann, 1981
). These
movements could be mediated by the tectoreticular-facial pathway or
the tectoparalemniscal-facial pathways (May et al., 1990
). The
paralemniscal area, in the lateral midbrain tegmentum of the cat
(Henkel and Edwards, 1978
; Henkel, 1981
), supplies a large and
elaborate network of monosynaptic excitatory and inhibitory inputs to
the medial aspect of the facial nucleus (May et al., 1990
), where the
motoneurons that innervate the muscles of the pinna are located (Kume
et al., 1978
; Populin and Yin, 1995
).
The role of the SC in the control of the short-latency component
described above is not as clear, however. The average latency with
which the right pinna begins to move in response to acoustic stimuli
presented on the frontal hemifield (Fig. 7) is 23.5 msec. This time
seems too short to include the intermediate and deep SC, the units of
which respond to acoustic stimuli with an average first spike latency
of 19 msec in the same preparation performing the same sensory probe
task (Populin and Yin, 1997b
). Longer auditory SC latencies have also
been reported in the behaving cat (Peck et al., 1995
) and monkey (Jay
and Sparks, 1987
) (median, 50 msec; mean, 44.8 msec, respectively).
Latency measurements of electrically evoked pinna movements, which
could shed some light onto this issue, are not reported in the
literature.
If the SC were not involved in the generation of the short-latency
component of pinna movements, then what pathways could underlie this
behavior? The goal-oriented nature of the short-latency component
suggests that the paralemniscal zone may be involved. Auditory inputs
to this area seem to be limited to the nucleus sagulum (Henkel, 1981
),
which is considered part of the auditory system but has not been
studied physiologically. Alternatively, it is possible that auditory
inputs reaching the medial aspects of the facial nucleus, bypassing the
paralemniscal zone, could drive these movements. Pinna movement-related
activity has been demonstrated in units in the pontomedullary reticular
formation of the cat (Siegel et al., 1980
). Stapedius motoneurons are
located near the facial nucleus and receive direct inputs from the
medial superior olive (Borg, 1973
; Joseph et al., 1985
). Thus auditory information does reach the vicinity of the facial nucleus, but the
existence of the required synaptic contacts to complete the short-latency pinna movement circuit remains to be demonstrated.
Summary and conclusions
The results of this study show that cat pinna movements during
sound localization consist of a short-latency component, time-locked to
the onset of the stimulus, and a second component that accompanies the
eye movement to the target. The consistency of the behaviors observed
and the changes in acoustics that can result from them (Phillips et
al., 1982
; Musicant et al., 1990
; Rice et al., 1992
; Young et al.,
1996
) raise the question of what the cat accomplishes by moving its
pinna. The two different types of pinna movements observed suggest that
various roles could be fulfilled. With the short-latency component the
cat could (1) obtain multiple samples of an acoustic object within a
short period, which could help in localization (Thurlow and Runge,
1967
), and (2) separate the spectrum of a sound source from the HRTF
(Young et al., 1996
). On the other hand, the larger pinna movements
observed during an orientation response could help improve
signal-to-noise ratio by focusing the acoustic axis of the pinna on a
particular area of space (Phillips et al., 1982
).
 |
FOOTNOTES |
Received Jan. 21, 1998; revised March 10, 1998; accepted March 12, 1998.
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants DC00116
and DC02840. We thank Ravi Kochhar and Jane Sekulski for computer
programming, Richard Olson for electronics, and Donna Cole for animal
care and help with the experiments.
Correspondence should be addressed to Luis C. Populin, Department of
Anatomy, University of Wisconsin, 1300 University Avenue, Madison, WI
53706.
 |
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