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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Environmental Modulations of the Number of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons in Adult Mice
Published on: January 20, 2015
Auditory midbrain neurons that count
Christofer J Edwards1, Todd B Alder, Gary J Rose
1Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0840, USA.
Abstract:
Many acoustic communication signals, including human speech and music, consist of a precise temporal arrangement of discrete elements, but it is unclear whether this precise temporal patterning is required to activate the sensory neurons that mediate signal recognition. In a variety of systems, neurons respond selectively when two or more sound elements are presented in a particular temporal order and the precise relative timing of these elements is particularly important for 'delay-tuned' neurons, including 'tracking' types, in bats. Here we show that one class of auditory neurons in the midbrain of anurans (frogs and toads) responds only to a series of specific interpulse intervals (IPIs); in the most selective cases, a single interval that is slightly longer or shorter than the requisite interval can reset this interval-counting process.
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