Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Auditory Pathway

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...

Hearing

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.

The Cochlea

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.

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...

Hair Cells

Hair Cells

Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.

Auditory Perception

Auditory Perception

The auditory system is essential for sound perception, utilizing various critical structures. When sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then transmitted to the middle ear, where three tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – amplify the sound. This amplification is crucial, as it ensures that the sound vibrations are strong enough to be conveyed to the inner ear. These vibrations then reach the cochlea, a...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Evolution of the vertebrate retina by repurposing of a composite ancestral median eye.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same author

A heterogeneous population code at the first synapse of vision.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Zebrafish use spectral information to suppress the visual background.

Cell·2025

Same author

A standardized nomenclature for the rods and cones of the vertebrate retina.

PLoS biology·2025

Same author

Comparative transcriptomic insights into the evolution of vertebrate photoreceptor types.

Current biology : CB·2025

Same author

Evidence for a command neuron controlling calling song in the cricket Gryllus assimilis.

Journal of insect physiology·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Functional Imaging of Auditory Cortex in Adult Cats using High-field fMRI

Functional Imaging of Auditory Cortex in Adult Cats using High-field fMRI

Published on: February 19, 2014

Primary afferent depolarization and frequency processing in auditory afferents.

Tom Baden¹, Berthold Hedwig

¹Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience

|November 5, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Presynaptic inhibition in bush-cricket auditory afferents involves graded depolarizing inputs that reduce spike amplitude. These inputs are frequency-tuned and organized inversely to the auditory map, suggesting a role in shaping auditory information processing.

More Related Videos

Data Acquisition and Analysis In Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry In Mice

Data Acquisition and Analysis In Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry In Mice

Published on: May 10, 2019

In Vitro Wedge Slice Preparation for Mimicking In Vivo Neuronal Circuit Connectivity

In Vitro Wedge Slice Preparation for Mimicking In Vivo Neuronal Circuit Connectivity

Published on: August 18, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Functional Imaging of Auditory Cortex in Adult Cats using High-field fMRI

Functional Imaging of Auditory Cortex in Adult Cats using High-field fMRI

Published on: February 19, 2014

Data Acquisition and Analysis In Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry In Mice

Data Acquisition and Analysis In Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry In Mice

Published on: May 10, 2019

In Vitro Wedge Slice Preparation for Mimicking In Vivo Neuronal Circuit Connectivity

In Vitro Wedge Slice Preparation for Mimicking In Vivo Neuronal Circuit Connectivity

Published on: August 18, 2020

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Auditory System Research
Sensory Pathway Modulation

Background:

Presynaptic inhibition is a key mechanism regulating synaptic transmission efficiency.
In sensory pathways, it is often associated with primary afferent depolarizations.
Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for deciphering sensory information processing.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the characteristics of presynaptic inhibition in bush-cricket auditory afferents.
To determine the relationship between primary afferent depolarization tuning and the tonotopic organization of the auditory system.
To elucidate how presynaptic inhibition shapes frequency-specific auditory signaling.

Main Methods:

Electrophysiological recordings from axonal terminals of auditory afferents.
Optical imaging to measure calcium (Ca2+) influx in terminals.
Analysis of sound frequency tuning for both spike rates and graded depolarizing inputs.

Main Results:

Bush-cricket auditory afferent terminals receive graded depolarizing inputs (2-5 mV), indicating presynaptic inhibition.
These inputs are linked to a picrotoxin-sensitive increase in terminal Ca2+.
Frequency tuning of depolarizing inputs is inversely organized compared to the tonotopic map, with high frequencies anteriorly and low frequencies posteriorly.
Individual afferents exhibit frequency-dependent primary afferent depolarization across their axonal branches.

Conclusions:

Primary afferent depolarization in afferent terminals of bush-crickets suggests presynaptic inhibition modulates synaptic transmission.
The inverse frequency tuning of depolarizing inputs compared to the auditory map indicates a complex role in processing auditory information.
Presynaptic inhibition likely shapes the transmission of frequency-specific auditory signals to downstream interneurons.