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Joris PX, Verschooten E, Mc Laughlin M, Versteegh C, van der Heijden M. Frequency selectivity in monkey auditory nerve studied with suprathreshold multicomponent stimuli. Hear Res 2024; 443:108964. [PMID: 38277882 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2024.108964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Data from non-human primates can help extend observations from non-primate species to humans. Here we report measurements on the auditory nerve of macaque monkeys in the context of a controversial topic important to human hearing. A range of techniques have been used to examine the claim, which is not generally accepted, that human frequency tuning is sharper than traditionally thought, and sharper than in commonly used animal models. Data from single auditory-nerve fibers occupy a pivotal position to examine this claim, but are not available for humans. A previous study reported sharper tuning in auditory-nerve fibers of macaque relative to the cat. A limitation of these and other single-fiber data is that frequency selectivity was measured with tonal threshold-tuning curves, which do not directly assess spectral filtering and whose shape is sharpened by cochlear nonlinearity. Our aim was to measure spectral filtering with wideband suprathreshold stimuli in the macaque auditory nerve. We obtained responses of single nerve fibers of anesthetized macaque monkeys and cats to a suprathreshold, wideband, multicomponent stimulus designed to allow characterization of spectral filtering at any cochlear locus. Quantitatively the differences between the two species are smaller than in previous studies, but consistent with these studies the filters obtained show a trend of sharper tuning in macaque, relative to the cat, for fibers in the basal half of the cochlea. We also examined differences in group delay measured on the phase data near the characteristic frequency versus in the low-frequency tail. The phase data are consistent with the interpretation of sharper frequency tuning in monkey in the basal half of the cochlea. We conclude that use of suprathreshold, wide-band stimuli supports the interpretation of sharper frequency selectivity in macaque nerve fibers relative to the cat, although the difference is less marked than apparent from the assessment with tonal threshold-based data.
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Affiliation(s)
- P X Joris
- Lab of Auditory Neurophysiology, KU Leuven, O&N2 KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 bus 1021, Leuven B-3000, Belgium.
| | - E Verschooten
- Lab of Auditory Neurophysiology, KU Leuven, O&N2 KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 bus 1021, Leuven B-3000, Belgium
| | - M Mc Laughlin
- Lab of Auditory Neurophysiology, KU Leuven, O&N2 KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 bus 1021, Leuven B-3000, Belgium
| | - Cpc Versteegh
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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Joris PX. Use of reverse noise to measure ongoing delay. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 154:926-937. [PMID: 37578194 DOI: 10.1121/10.0020657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Counts of spike coincidences provide a powerful means to compare responses to different stimuli or of different neurons, particularly regarding temporal factors. A drawback is that these methods do not provide an absolute measure of latency, i.e., the temporal interval between stimulus features and response. It is desirable to have such a measure within the analysis framework of coincidence counting. Single neuron responses were obtained, from 130 fibers in several tracts (auditory nerve, trapezoid body, lateral lemniscus), to a broadband noise and its polarity-inverted version. The spike trains in response to these stimuli are the "forward noise" responses. The same stimuli were also played time-reversed. The resulting spike trains were then again time-reversed: These are the "reverse-noise" responses. The forward and reverse responses were then analyzed with the coincidence count methods we have introduced earlier. Correlograms between forward- and reverse-noise responses show maxima at values consistent with latencies measured with other methods; the pattern of latencies with characteristic frequency, sound pressure level, and recording location was also consistent. At low characteristic frequencies, correlograms were well-predicted by reverse-correlation functions. We conclude that reverse noise provides an easy and reliable means to estimate latency of auditory nerve and brainstem neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip X Joris
- Laboratory of Auditory Neurophysiology, KU Leuven, Leuven B-3000, Belgium
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Franken TP, Bondy BJ, Haimes DB, Goldwyn JH, Golding NL, Smith PH, Joris PX. Glycinergic axonal inhibition subserves acute spatial sensitivity to sudden increases in sound intensity. eLife 2021; 10:62183. [PMID: 34121662 PMCID: PMC8238506 DOI: 10.7554/elife.62183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Locomotion generates adventitious sounds which enable detection and localization of predators and prey. Such sounds contain brisk changes or transients in amplitude. We investigated the hypothesis that ill-understood temporal specializations in binaural circuits subserve lateralization of such sound transients, based on different time of arrival at the ears (interaural time differences, ITDs). We find that Lateral Superior Olive (LSO) neurons show exquisite ITD-sensitivity, reflecting extreme precision and reliability of excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials, in contrast to Medial Superior Olive neurons, traditionally viewed as the ultimate ITD-detectors. In vivo, inhibition blocks LSO excitation over an extremely short window, which, in vitro, required synaptically evoked inhibition. Light and electron microscopy revealed inhibitory synapses on the axon initial segment as the structural basis of this observation. These results reveal a neural vetoing mechanism with extreme temporal and spatial precision and establish the LSO as the primary nucleus for binaural processing of sound transients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom P Franken
- Department of Neurosciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Systems Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, United States
| | - Brian J Bondy
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States
| | - David B Haimes
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States
| | - Joshua H Goldwyn
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, United States
| | - Nace L Golding
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States
| | - Philip H Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
| | - Philip X Joris
- Department of Neurosciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Joris PX, Trussell LO. The Calyx of Held: A Hypothesis on the Need for Reliable Timing in an Intensity-Difference Encoder. Neuron 2018; 100:534-549. [PMID: 30408442 PMCID: PMC6263157 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.10.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Revised: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The calyx of Held is the preeminent model for the study of synaptic function in the mammalian CNS. Despite much work on the synapse and associated circuit, its role in hearing remains enigmatic. We propose that the calyx is one of the key adaptations that enables an animal to lateralize transient sounds. The calyx is part of a binaural circuit that is biased toward high sound frequencies and is sensitive to intensity differences between the ears. This circuit also shows marked sensitivity to interaural time differences, but only for brief sound transients ("clicks"). In a natural environment, such transients are rare except as adventitious sounds generated by other animals moving at close range. We argue that the calyx, and associated temporal specializations, evolved to enable spatial localization of sound transients, through a neural code congruent with the circuit's sensitivity to interaural intensity differences, thereby conferring a key benefit to survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip X Joris
- Laboratory of Auditory Neurophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, University of Leuven, Leuven B-3000, Belgium.
| | - Laurence O Trussell
- Oregon Hearing Research Center and Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
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Laback B, Dietz M, Joris P. Temporal effects in interaural and sequential level difference perception. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 142:3267. [PMID: 29195428 DOI: 10.1121/1.5009563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Temporal effects in interaural level difference (ILD) perception are not well understood. While it is often assumed that ILD sensitivity is independent of the temporal stimulus properties, a reduction of ILD sensitivity for stimuli with a high modulation rate has been reported (known under the term binaural adaptation). Experiment 1 compared ILD thresholds and sequential-level-difference (SLD) thresholds using 300-ms bandpass-filtered pulse trains (centered at 4 kHz) with rates of 100, 400, and 800 pulses per second (pps). In contrast to the SLD thresholds, ILD thresholds were elevated at 800 pps, consistent with literature data that had previously been attributed to binaural adaptation. Experiment 2 showed better ILD sensitivity for pulse trains than for pure tones, suggesting that amplitude modulation enhances ILD sensitivity. The present ILD data and binaural adaptation data from the literature were predicted by a model combining well-established auditory periphery front-ends with an interaural comparison stage. The model also accounted for other published ILD data, including target ILD thresholds in diotic forward and backward fringes and ILD thresholds with different amounts of interaural correlation. Overall, a variety of temporal effects in ILD perception, including binaural adaptation, appear to be largely attributable to monaural peripheral auditory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Laback
- Acoustics Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Wohllebengasse 12-14, Vienna, A-1040, Austria
| | - Mathias Dietz
- Medizinische Physik, Universität Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky Straße 9-11, Oldenburg, 26111, Germany
| | - Philip Joris
- Laboratory of Auditory Neurophysiology, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, Leuven, B-3000, Belgium
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Heil P, Peterson AJ. Spike timing in auditory-nerve fibers during spontaneous activity and phase locking. Synapse 2016; 71:5-36. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.21925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Revised: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 07/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Heil
- Department of Systems Physiology of Learning; Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology; Magdeburg 39118 Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences; Magdeburg Germany
| | - Adam J. Peterson
- Department of Systems Physiology of Learning; Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology; Magdeburg 39118 Germany
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Integrated processing of spatial cues in human auditory cortex. Hear Res 2015; 327:143-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2015.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Revised: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Heil P, Peterson AJ. Basic response properties of auditory nerve fibers: a review. Cell Tissue Res 2015; 361:129-58. [PMID: 25920587 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-015-2177-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
All acoustic information from the periphery is encoded in the timing and rates of spikes in the population of spiral ganglion neurons projecting to the central auditory system. Considerable progress has been made in characterizing the physiological properties of type-I and type-II primary auditory afferents and understanding the basic properties of type-I afferents in response to sounds. Here, we review some of these properties, with emphasis placed on issues such as the stochastic nature of spike timing during spontaneous and driven activity, frequency tuning curves, spike-rate-versus-level functions, dynamic-range and spike-rate adaptation, and phase locking to stimulus fine structure and temporal envelope. We also review effects of acoustic trauma on some of these response properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Heil
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestrasse 6, 39118, Magdeburg, Germany,
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Reverse correlation analysis of auditory-nerve fiber responses to broadband noise in a bird, the barn owl. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2014; 16:101-19. [PMID: 25315358 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-014-0494-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2014] [Accepted: 09/24/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
While the barn owl has been extensively used as a model for sound localization and temporal coding, less is known about the mechanisms at its sensory organ, the basilar papilla (homologous to the mammalian cochlea). In this paper, we characterize, for the first time in the avian system, the auditory nerve fiber responses to broadband noise using reverse correlation. We use the derived impulse responses to study the processing of sounds in the cochlea of the barn owl. We characterize the frequency tuning, phase, instantaneous frequency, and relationship to input level of impulse responses. We show that, even features as complex as the phase dependence on input level, can still be consistent with simple linear filtering. Where possible, we compare our results with mammalian data. We identify salient differences between the barn owl and mammals, e.g., a much smaller frequency glide slope and a bimodal impulse response for the barn owl, and discuss what they might indicate about cochlear mechanics. While important for research on the avian auditory system, the results from this paper also allow us to examine hypotheses put forward for the mammalian cochlea.
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Fontaine B, Benichoux V, Joris PX, Brette R. Predicting spike timing in highly synchronous auditory neurons at different sound levels. J Neurophysiol 2013; 110:1672-88. [PMID: 23864375 PMCID: PMC4042421 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00051.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2013] [Accepted: 07/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A challenge for sensory systems is to encode natural signals that vary in amplitude by orders of magnitude. The spike trains of neurons in the auditory system must represent the fine temporal structure of sounds despite a tremendous variation in sound level in natural environments. It has been shown in vitro that the transformation from dynamic signals into precise spike trains can be accurately captured by simple integrate-and-fire models. In this work, we show that the in vivo responses of cochlear nucleus bushy cells to sounds across a wide range of levels can be precisely predicted by deterministic integrate-and-fire models with adaptive spike threshold. Our model can predict both the spike timings and the firing rate in response to novel sounds, across a large input level range. A noisy version of the model accounts for the statistical structure of spike trains, including the reliability and temporal precision of responses. Spike threshold adaptation was critical to ensure that predictions remain accurate at different levels. These results confirm that simple integrate-and-fire models provide an accurate phenomenological account of spike train statistics and emphasize the functional relevance of spike threshold adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bertrand Fontaine
- Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, CNRS, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
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