Acoustic factors govern developmental sharpening of spatial tuning in the auditory cortex.

Auditory localization relies on the detection and interpretation of acoustic cues that change in value as the head and external ears grow. Here we show that the maturation of these structures is an important determinant for the development of spatial selectivity in the ferret auditory cortex. Spatia...

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Main Authors: Mrsic-Flogel, T, Schnupp, J, King, A
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2003
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author Mrsic-Flogel, T
Schnupp, J
King, A
author_facet Mrsic-Flogel, T
Schnupp, J
King, A
author_sort Mrsic-Flogel, T
collection OXFORD
description Auditory localization relies on the detection and interpretation of acoustic cues that change in value as the head and external ears grow. Here we show that the maturation of these structures is an important determinant for the development of spatial selectivity in the ferret auditory cortex. Spatial response fields (SRFs) of high-frequency cortical neurons recorded at postnatal days (P) 33-39 were broader, and transmitted less information about stimulus direction, than in older ferrets. They also exhibited slightly broader frequency tuning than neurons recorded in adult animals. However, when infant neurons were stimulated through virtual ears of adults, SRFs sharpened significantly and the amount of transmitted information increased. This improvement was predicted by a model that generates SRF shape from the localization cue values and the neurons' binaural spectrotemporal response properties. The maturation of spatial response characteristics in auditory cortex therefore seems to be limited by peripheral rather than by central factors.
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spelling oxford-uuid:297fbbe3-583e-4168-b9be-c0cac3a4ca772022-03-26T12:19:29ZAcoustic factors govern developmental sharpening of spatial tuning in the auditory cortex.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:297fbbe3-583e-4168-b9be-c0cac3a4ca77EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2003Mrsic-Flogel, TSchnupp, JKing, AAuditory localization relies on the detection and interpretation of acoustic cues that change in value as the head and external ears grow. Here we show that the maturation of these structures is an important determinant for the development of spatial selectivity in the ferret auditory cortex. Spatial response fields (SRFs) of high-frequency cortical neurons recorded at postnatal days (P) 33-39 were broader, and transmitted less information about stimulus direction, than in older ferrets. They also exhibited slightly broader frequency tuning than neurons recorded in adult animals. However, when infant neurons were stimulated through virtual ears of adults, SRFs sharpened significantly and the amount of transmitted information increased. This improvement was predicted by a model that generates SRF shape from the localization cue values and the neurons' binaural spectrotemporal response properties. The maturation of spatial response characteristics in auditory cortex therefore seems to be limited by peripheral rather than by central factors.
spellingShingle Mrsic-Flogel, T
Schnupp, J
King, A
Acoustic factors govern developmental sharpening of spatial tuning in the auditory cortex.
title Acoustic factors govern developmental sharpening of spatial tuning in the auditory cortex.
title_full Acoustic factors govern developmental sharpening of spatial tuning in the auditory cortex.
title_fullStr Acoustic factors govern developmental sharpening of spatial tuning in the auditory cortex.
title_full_unstemmed Acoustic factors govern developmental sharpening of spatial tuning in the auditory cortex.
title_short Acoustic factors govern developmental sharpening of spatial tuning in the auditory cortex.
title_sort acoustic factors govern developmental sharpening of spatial tuning in the auditory cortex
work_keys_str_mv AT mrsicflogelt acousticfactorsgoverndevelopmentalsharpeningofspatialtuningintheauditorycortex
AT schnuppj acousticfactorsgoverndevelopmentalsharpeningofspatialtuningintheauditorycortex
AT kinga acousticfactorsgoverndevelopmentalsharpeningofspatialtuningintheauditorycortex