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Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 12, 2493-2503, Copyright © 1992 by Society for Neuroscience
Sensory tuning beyond the sensory system: an initial analysis of auditory response properties of neurons in the lateral amygdaloid nucleus and overlying areas of the striatum
F Bordi and J LeDoux
Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York 10003.
The lateral amygdaloid nucleus (AL) is anatomically connected with sensory
processing structures in the thalamus and cortex and is believed to be
critically involved in emotional processing by virtue of these connections.
In order to understand further how auditory projections to AL contribute to
emotional processing, acoustic response properties of single AL neurons
were characterized in rats. Recordings were also made in the posterior
striatum dorsal to AL. Many cells in AL and the striatum could be driven by
broad-band auditory stimulation with white noise or clicks. Initial onset
latencies were typically between 12 and 25 msec. Most cells also had later
responses (60-150 msec), and a few only had late responses. In frequency
receptive field tests, different classes of cells were identified. One
group had relatively clear frequency preferences. Thresholds for these
relatively tuned cells tended to be somewhat higher in AL than in the
striatum. Frequency preferences for AL cells were always above 10 kHz.
Although most striatal cells had preferences for frequencies above 10 kHz,
some cells were found with frequencies below 10 kHz as well. A second group
of acoustically responsive neurons, much more common in AL than in the
striatum, showed no frequency specificity (untuned cells). These responded
to a wide range of frequencies, even at intensities near threshold. A third
group, found mainly in AL (approximately 60% of the total population of
cells examined in AL), exhibited rapid habituation to auditory stimuli.
These tended to have high thresholds (80-100 dB). Because these cells
habituated so quickly, frequency specificity could not be determined.
Responses in AL and the striatum were compared with responses in the
"specific" auditory relay nucleus of the thalamus, the ventral division of
the medial geniculate body, where cells had shorter onset latencies,
narrower tuning functions, and lower-intensity thresholds than cells in AL
and striatal areas. These findings show that cells in AL exhibit a wide
range of auditory tuning properties and suggest that information processing
in the amygdala might be fruitfully studied as a direct extension of
processing in sensory afferent structures.
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