Differential calbindin-like immunoreactivity in the brain stem auditory system of the chinchilla

Calbindin is a 28 kD calcium-binding protein found in neural tissue. Although its functional role in neurons is unknown, it has been proposed that calbindin is involved in intracellular buffering and could therefore influence temporal precision of neuronal firing. In the barn owl, calbindin-like immunoreactivity was found to be selectively present in brain stem auditory pathways used to process interaural time differences, but was absent from the interaural intensity pathway. The present study demonstrates calbindin immunoreactivity in the auditory brain stem of the chinchilla, a rodent with exceptionally good low-frequency hearing. In the superior olivary complex and periolivary areas, immunoreactivity was divided between neuropil labeling in the lateral and medial superior olives and dorsomedial periolivary nucleus, and labeling of the somata of the medial and ventral nuclei of the trapezoid body and anterolateral periolivary nucleus. Strong immunoreactivity was observed in the ventral and dorsal divisions of the ventral nucleus of lateral lemniscus somata and the ventral division's columnarly organized fiber plexus. The dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus was void of immunoreactivity. Virtually all principal neurons of the sagulum showed darkly labeled somata surrounded by a densely labeled fiber plexus. Immunoreactivity in the inferior colliculus was primarily limited to the paracentral nuclei, with only an occasional labeled cell in the central nucleus. In conclusion, although selective labeling of calbindin in the mammalian auditory brain stem is impressive, no distinctive labeling of a functionally defined timing pathway was apparent as reported previously in the barn owl or electric fish.