Information Processing in the Inferior Colliculus

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed work investigates the representation of information about sound in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (CNIC). This structure receives a complex array of inputs containing different kinds of information about the sounds coming into the ears. As many as 20-30 separate processing centers in the brainstem contribute inputs to the CNIC. These include information about what the sound is, who or what produced it, and where the source is located. All of this information must pass through the CNIC on the way to the cortex, so the way in which the neurons of the CNIC assemble these diverse representations is essential to understanding auditory processing. Three investigations are proposed. First, a new statistical method will be applied to construct generic models of the receptive fields of neurons in CNIC. These models will allow understanding of the way the identity of sounds and their information content is represented. Second, the way in which the three cues for sound localization are combined in neurons of the CNIC will be studied. This will provide insights into the way in which neurons encode multiple aspects of stimuli, a common problem in all parts of the brain. Third, the circuits that amplify dynamic features of sound will be studied. These elements allow us to deal with complex acoustic environments with multiple sound sources, especially with the problem of separating sources that produce overlapping sounds.