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Wolter S, Möhrle D, Schmidt H, Pfeiffer S, Zelle D, Eckert P, Krämer M, Feil R, Pilz PKD, Knipper M, Rüttiger L. GC-B Deficient Mice With Axon Bifurcation Loss Exhibit Compromised Auditory Processing. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:65. [PMID: 30275816 PMCID: PMC6152484 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory axon T-like branching (bifurcation) in neurons from dorsal root ganglia and cranial sensory ganglia depends on the molecular signaling cascade involving the secreted factor C-type natriuretic peptide, the natriuretic peptide receptor guanylyl cyclase B (GC-B; also known as Npr2) and cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (cGKI, also known as PKGI). The bifurcation of cranial nerves is suggested to be important for information processing by second-order neurons in the hindbrain or spinal cord. Indeed, mice with a spontaneous GC-B loss of function mutation (Npr2cn/cn ) display an impaired bifurcation of auditory nerve (AN) fibers. However, these mice did not show any obvious sign of impaired basal hearing. Here, we demonstrate that mice with a targeted inactivation of the GC-B gene (Npr2 lacZ/lacZ , GC-B KO mice) show an elevation of audiometric thresholds. In the inner ear, the cochlear hair cells in GC-B KO mice were nevertheless similar to those from wild type mice, justified by the typical expression of functionally relevant marker proteins. However, efferent cholinergic feedback to inner and outer hair cells was reduced in GC-B KO mice, linked to very likely reduced rapid efferent feedback. Sound-evoked AN responses of GC-B KO mice were elevated, a feature that is known to occur when the efferent axo-dendritic feedback on AN is compromised. Furthermore, late sound-evoked brainstem responses were significantly delayed in GC-B KO mice. This delay in sound response was accompanied by a weaker sensitivity of the auditory steady state response to amplitude-modulated sound stimuli. Finally, the acoustic startle response (ASR) - one of the fastest auditory responses - and the prepulse inhibition of the ASR indicated significant changes in temporal precision of auditory processing. These findings suggest that GC-B-controlled axon bifurcation of spiral ganglion neurons is important for proper activation of second-order neurons in the hindbrain and is a prerequisite for proper temporal auditory processing likely by establishing accurate efferent top-down control circuits. These data hypothesize that the bifurcation pattern of cranial nerves is important to shape spatial and temporal information processing for sensory feedback control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Wolter
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Dorit Möhrle
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hannes Schmidt
- Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sylvia Pfeiffer
- Department of Animal Physiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Dennis Zelle
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Physiological Acoustics and Communication, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Philipp Eckert
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Krämer
- Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Robert Feil
- Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Peter K D Pilz
- Department of Animal Physiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marlies Knipper
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lukas Rüttiger
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Malek S, Sperschneider K. Aftereffects of Spectrally Similar and Dissimilar Spectral Motion Adaptors in the Tritone Paradox. Front Psychol 2018; 9:677. [PMID: 29867653 PMCID: PMC5953344 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Malek
- Psychology Department, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
- *Correspondence: Stephanie Malek
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Greene NT, Anbuhl KL, Ferber AT, DeGuzman M, Allen PD, Tollin DJ. Spatial hearing ability of the pigmented Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus): Minimum audible angle and spatial release from masking in azimuth. Hear Res 2018; 365:62-76. [PMID: 29778290 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2018.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 04/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Despite the common use of guinea pigs in investigations of the neural mechanisms of binaural and spatial hearing, their behavioral capabilities in spatial hearing tasks have surprisingly not been thoroughly investigated. To begin to fill this void, we tested the spatial hearing of adult male guinea pigs in several experiments using a paradigm based on the prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response. In the first experiment, we presented continuous broadband noise from one speaker location and switched to a second speaker location (the "prepulse") along the azimuth prior to presenting a brief, ∼110 dB SPL startle-eliciting stimulus. We found that the startle response amplitude was systematically reduced for larger changes in speaker swap angle (i.e., greater PPI), indicating that using the speaker "swap" paradigm is sufficient to assess stimulus detection of spatially separated sounds. In a second set of experiments, we swapped low- and high-pass noise across the midline to estimate their ability to utilize interaural time- and level-difference cues, respectively. The results reveal that guinea pigs can utilize both binaural cues to discriminate azimuthal sound sources. A third set of experiments examined spatial release from masking using a continuous broadband noise masker and a broadband chirp signal, both presented concurrently at various speaker locations. In general, animals displayed an increase in startle amplitude (i.e., lower PPI) when the masker was presented at speaker locations near that of the chirp signal, and reduced startle amplitudes (increased PPI) indicating lower detection thresholds when the noise was presented from more distant speaker locations. In summary, these results indicate that guinea pigs can: 1) discriminate changes in source location within a hemifield as well as across the midline, 2) discriminate sources of low- and high-pass sounds, demonstrating that they can effectively utilize both low-frequency interaural time and high-frequency level difference sound localization cues, and 3) utilize spatial release from masking to discriminate sound sources. This report confirms the guinea pig as a suitable spatial hearing model and reinforces prior estimates of guinea pig hearing ability from acoustical and physiological measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel T Greene
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
| | - Kelsey L Anbuhl
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA; Neuroscience Training Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Alexander T Ferber
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA; Neuroscience Training Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Marisa DeGuzman
- Neuroscience Training Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Paul D Allen
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
| | - Daniel J Tollin
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA; Neuroscience Training Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
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Abstract
Frequency modulation is critical to human speech. Evidence from psychophysics, neurophysiology, and neuroimaging suggests that there are neuronal populations tuned to this property of speech. Consistent with this, extended exposure to frequency change produces direction specific aftereffects in frequency change detection. We show that this aftereffect occurs extremely rapidly, requiring only a single trial of just 100-ms duration. We demonstrate this using a long, randomized series of frequency sweeps (both upward and downward, by varying amounts) and analyzing intertrial adaptation effects. We show the point of constant frequency is shifted systematically towards the previous trial's sweep direction (i.e., a frequency sweep aftereffect). Furthermore, the perception of glide direction is also independently influenced by the glide presented two trials previously. The aftereffect is frequency tuned, as exposure to a frequency sweep from a set centered on 1,000 Hz does not influence a subsequent trial drawn from a set centered on 400 Hz. More generally, the rapidity of adaptation suggests the auditory system is constantly adapting and "tuning" itself to the most recent environmental conditions.
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Zhang J, Zhang X. Electrical stimulation of the dorsal cochlear nucleus induces hearing in rats. Brain Res 2009; 1311:37-50. [PMID: 19941837 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.11.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2009] [Revised: 11/11/2009] [Accepted: 11/12/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) restore hearing by electrical stimulation of the cochlear nucleus (CN). Depending on the physiological condition, duration of the pre-existing deafness, extent of damage to the CN, and the number of channels accessible to the tonotopic frequency gradients of the CN, ABIs improve speech understanding to varying degrees. Although the ventral cochlear nucleus, a mainstream auditory structure, has been considered a logic target for ABI stimulation, it is not yet clear how the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) contributes to patients' hearing during ABI stimulation. To better understand the mechanisms underlying ABIs, we tested if electrical stimulation of the rat DCN induces hearing using a novel electrical prepulse inhibition (ePPI) of startle reflex behavior model. Our results showed that bipolar electrical stimulation of all channels in the DCN induced behavioral manifestation of hearing and that electrical stimulation of certain channels in the DCN induced robust neural activity in auditory cortex channels that responded to acoustic stimulation and demonstrated well-defined frequency tuning curves. This suggests that the DCN plays an important role in electrical hearing and should be further pursued in designing new ABIs. The novel ePPI behavioral paradigm may potentially be developed into an efficient method for testing hearing in animals with an implantable prosthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinsheng Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 5E-UHC, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4201 Saint Antoine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
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Abstract
Amplitude- and frequency-modulated (AM and FM, respectively) tones have been considered as simplified models of natural sounds. The responses of auditory neurons can phase-lock to the modulation frequency (fm). The encoding and transmitting of such modulation phase-locking are interesting since there is no any fm physical peak in spectrum. In the present study, we approached these issues by recording the phase-locked responses of the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) units in guinea pigs to different AM and FM tones. For AM noise tones without the spectral cues of fm, the unit's discharges still phase-locked to the envelope cycles, but it was generally weaker than to sinusoidal AM (SAM) tones. At 50% modulation depth (dm), the mean modulation gains of Pauser/ Buildup (P/B) units (n = 7) to AM noise tones was -0.61 dB whereas they had a 6.48 dB mean to SAM tones. Similar to the case of AM tones, phase-locking to sinusoidal FM (SFM) tones represented the time courses of frequency changes, and it could be separated and changeable corresponding to the frequency increasing and decreasing. There were differences between the phase-locking to SAM and SFM tones in an identical unit. Both ON and type I/III units tended to have stronger phase-locking to the SFM tones than to the SAM tones. The phase-locking to the possible demodulated fm components was further examined with different carrier frequencies (fc) and pure tones. The DCN units showed poor or no responses to modulation tones out of their response areas even in the low characteristic frequency (CF) units, but the low-CF units had clear phase-locking to pure tones at the similar fm ranges. The puretone phase-locking had a band-pass shape different from the low-pass shape of the auditory nerve fibers. These data suggest that the modulation phase-locking in the DCN units may be based on the temporal modulation cues and transmitted in the carrier place. The temporal integration of modulation information over the unit's response area as an across-frequency temporal processing model was discussed for modulation enhancement in the CN units.
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Affiliation(s)
- H B Zhao
- Shanghai Institute of Physiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, People's Republic of China.
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