Internally coupled middle ears enhance the range of interaural time differences heard by the chicken

The Neural Representation of Binaural Sound Localization Cues Across Different Subregions of the Chicken's Inferior Colliculus

The sound localization behavior of the nocturnally hunting barn owl and its underlying neural computations is a textbook example of neuroethology. Differences in sound timing and level at the two ears are integrated in a series of well-characterized steps, from brainstem to inferior colliculus (IC), resulting in a topographical neural representation of auditory space. It remains an important question of brain evolution: How is this specialized case derived from a more plesiomorphic pattern? The present study is the first to match physiology and anatomical subregions in the non-owl avian IC. Single-unit responses in the chicken IC were tested for selectivity to different frequencies and to the binaural difference cues. Their anatomical origin was reconstructed with the help of electrolytic lesions and immunohistochemical identification of different subregions of the IC, based on previous characterizations in owl and chicken. In contrast to barn owl, there was no distinct differentiation of responses in the different subregions. We found neural topographies for both binaural cues but no evidence for a coherent representation of auditory space. The results are consistent with previous work in pigeon IC and chicken higher-order midbrain and suggest a plesiomorphic condition of multisensory integration in the midbrain that is dominated by lateral panoramic vision.

Hearing in helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris): audiogram from 2 Hz to 10 kHz and localization acuity for brief noise bursts

Behavioral hearing thresholds and noise localization acuity were determined using a conditioned avoidance/suppression procedure for three Helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris). The guineafowl responded to frequencies as low as 2 Hz at 82.5 dB SPL, and as high as 8 kHz at 84.5 dB SPL. At a level of 60 dB SPL, their hearing range spanned 8.12 octaves (24.6 Hz-6.86 kHz). Like most birds, they do not hear sounds above 8 kHz. However, the guineafowl demonstrated good low-frequency hearing (frequencies below 32 Hz), showing thresholds that are more sensitive than both the peafowl and pigeon, both of which hear infrasound. It thus appears that infrasound perception may be more common than previously thought and may have implications for species that inhabit areas with wind energy facilities. The guineafowls' minimum audible angle for a 100-ms broadband noise burst was 13.8 °, at the median for birds and near the mean for mammals. Unlike in mammals, the small sample of bird species and limited representation of lifestyles do not yet allow for meaningful interpretations of the selective pressures or mechanisms that underlie their abilities to locate sound sources.

Chickens have excellent sound localization ability

The mechanisms of sound localization are actively debated, especially which cues are predominately used and why. Our study provides behavioural data in chickens (Gallus gallus) and relates these to estimates of the perceived physical cues. Sound localization acuity was quantified as the minimum audible angle (MAA) in azimuth. Pure-tone MAA was 12.3, 9.3, 8.9 and 14.5 deg for frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz, respectively. Broadband-noise MAA was 12.2 deg, which indicates excellent behavioural acuity. We determined 'external cues' from head-related transfer functions of chickens. These were used to derive 'internal cues', taking into account published data on the effect of the coupled middle ears. Our estimates of the internal cues indicate that chickens likely relied on interaural time difference cues alone at low frequencies of 500 and 1000 Hz, whereas at 2000 and 4000 Hz, interaural level differences may be the dominant cue.

Evidence supporting synchrony between two active ears due to interaural coupling

Motivated by recent developments suggesting that interaural coupling in non-mammals allows for the two active ears to effectively synchronize, this report describes otoacoustic measurements made in the oral cavity of lizards. As expected from that model, spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) were readily measurable in the mouth, which is contiguous with the interaural airspace. Additionally, finite element model calculations were made to simulate the interaural acoustics based upon SOAE-related tympanic membrane vibrational data. Taken together, these data support the notion of two active ears synchronizing by virtue of acoustic coupling and have potential implications for sound localization at low-levels.