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Eye position influences auditory responses in primate inferior colliculus
J M Groh1, A S Trause, A M Underhill
1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, 6207 Moore Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
Neuron
|March 10, 2001
Summary
Eye position significantly impacts auditory responses in the primate inferior colliculus (IC). This suggests a distributed sound localization system using an intermediate reference frame for spatial processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Sensory Processing
Background:
- The inferior colliculus (IC) is a key auditory center in the brain.
- Understanding the reference frame for auditory spatial processing is crucial for sensory integration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how eye position influences auditory responses in the primate IC.
- To determine the frame of reference used for sound localization in the IC.
Main Methods:
- Electrophysiological recordings from IC neurons in monkeys.
- Presenting auditory stimuli while monkeys fixated visual targets at various eye positions.
Main Results:
- Eye position modulated auditory response levels in 33% of recorded neurons.
- Modulation by eye position was substantial, comparable to sound location effects.
- Eye position did not significantly shift the spatial tuning of auditory responses.
Conclusions:
- Auditory spatial representation in the primate IC is distributed.
- The frame of reference is intermediate between head- and eye-centered coordinates.
- IC neurons provide information for calculating sound positions relative to the eyes.