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Related Concept Videos

Auditory Pathway01:15

Auditory Pathway

Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...
The Cochlea01:13

The Cochlea

The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

Somatic sensory or somatosensory pathways refer to the neural pathways that carry information related to touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints to the brain. These pathways involve several stages of processing and integration of sensory information.
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
Indirect Motor Pathways01:22

Indirect Motor Pathways

The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...
Hearing01:31

Hearing

When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...

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Related Experiment Video

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Stereotactically-guided Ablation of the Rat Auditory Cortex, and Localization of the Lesion in the Brain
09:29

Stereotactically-guided Ablation of the Rat Auditory Cortex, and Localization of the Lesion in the Brain

Published on: October 11, 2017

The descending corticocollicular pathway mediates learning-induced auditory plasticity.

Victoria M Bajo1, Fernando R Nodal, David R Moore

  • 1Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Nature Neuroscience
|December 29, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Descending corticofugal neurons are crucial for auditory learning. Eliminating these pathways prevents ferrets from recalibrating sound localization after ear occlusion, highlighting their role in auditory plasticity.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Auditory system research
  • Sensory processing

Background:

  • Descending projections from the cerebral cortex are significant brain pathways.
  • Corticofugal inputs modulate subcortical neuronal responses, but their behavioral relevance is unclear.
  • The auditory system features major descending pathways from cortical layer V pyramidal cells to the inferior colliculus.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of corticocollicular neurons in experience-dependent recalibration of sound localization.
  • To determine the necessity of these descending pathways for auditory learning and plasticity.

Main Methods:

  • Selective elimination of corticocollicular neurons in adult ferrets using chromophore-targeted laser photolysis.
  • Assessment of sound localization accuracy before and after training with altered spatial cues (unilateral ear occlusion).

Main Results:

  • Ferrets with eliminated corticocollicular neurons lost the ability to relearn accurate sound localization after ear occlusion.
  • Normal sound localization accuracy was unaffected in these animals when the descending pathway was absent.
  • The integrity of the corticocollicular pathway is essential for learning-induced plasticity in sound localization.

Conclusions:

  • Descending projections from the cerebral cortex, specifically to the inferior colliculus, are critical for auditory learning.
  • These pathways are necessary for the brain to adapt and recalibrate sound localization based on experience.
  • The study demonstrates the behavioral importance of corticofugal modulation in auditory plasticity.