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Stereotactically-guided Ablation of the Rat Auditory Cortex, and Localization of the Lesion in the Brain
Published on: October 11, 2017
Descending projections from extrastriate visual cortex modulate responses of cells in primary auditory cortex
Matthew I Banks1, Daniel J Uhlrich, Philip H Smith
1Department of Anesthesiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA. mibanks@wisc.edu
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|April 8, 2011
Summary
Visual cortex projections modulate auditory cortex responses. This study reveals how the visual cortex (V2) influences auditory processing in the primary auditory cortex (Au1), impacting neural responses and sensory integration.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Multimodal Sensory Integration
Background:
- Sensory cortices are modulated by related information from other modalities.
- Sources and cellular mechanisms of this multimodal integration remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate modulation of primary auditory cortex (Au1) neural responses by the extrastriate visual cortex (V2).
- Determine the cellular locus and temporal dynamics of visual-to-auditory cortical integration.
Main Methods:
- Used murine models for in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological recordings.
- Performed whole-cell recordings in brain slices to assess V2-evoked responses in Au1.
- Utilized calcium imaging to observe population-level neural activity in Au1.
Main Results:
- V2 projections to Au1 target specific cortical layers (1, 2, 5, 6).
- V2 stimulation elicited long-latency responses in Au1, modulating subsequent auditory white matter (WM) stimuli.
- Both response summation and suppression were observed, particularly for near-threshold auditory stimuli.
Conclusions:
- Corticocortical projections from V2 significantly contribute to multimodal integration within the primary auditory cortex.
- This provides evidence for a direct visual influence on auditory processing at the primary cortical level.
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