Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026
07:23
Using Insect Electroantennogram Sensors on Autonomous Robots for Olfactory Searches
Published on: August 4, 2014
Bats use a neuronally implemented computational acoustic model to form sonar images
1Department of Neuroscience, Box GLN, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA. james_simmons@brown.edu
Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|March 23, 2012
Summary
Big brown bats use frequency-modulated (FM) biosonar by creating neural cascades that model sonar acoustics. This allows bats to build a dynamic spatial image from returning echoes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Bioacoustics
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Echolocating bats process frequency-modulated (FM) sounds for navigation and hunting.
- Understanding the neural basis of FM biosonar processing is crucial for deciphering auditory perception in bats.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a new perspective on FM biosonar processing in the auditory system of echolocating bats.
- To investigate how neural responses to sonar sounds contribute to spatial awareness.
Main Methods:
- Reexamination of neurophysiological data from echolocating big brown bats.
- Analysis of auditory neuron responses to brief FM sweeps.
- Correlation of neural spike patterns with sound propagation and echo return.
Main Results:
- Auditory neurons exhibit frequency tuning and respond to FM sweeps with single spikes.
- Neural responses form a time-distributed cascade mirroring sound propagation and echo return (up to 5-8 m).
- Returning echoes elicit spike patterns that coincide with ongoing broadcast responses, indicating target distance and shape.
Conclusions:
- The flow of neural responses over time functions as an internal model of sonar acoustics.
- Distributed neuronal computations create a dynamic, real-time image of the bat's environment.
- This model provides a novel framework for understanding bat biosonar perception.
More Related Videos
12:00Non-invasive Parenchymal, Vascular and Metabolic High-frequency Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Rat Deep Brain Imaging
Published on: March 2, 2015
10:18Photodiode-Based Optical Imaging for Recording Network Dynamics with Single-Neuron Resolution in Non-Transgenic Invertebrates
Published on: July 9, 2020
Related Concept Videos
01:13The 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.
01:06Echo
The human ear cannot distinguish between two sources of sound if they happen to reach within a specific time interval, typically 0.1 seconds apart. More than this, and they are perceived as separate sources.
Imagine the sound is reflected back to the ears. Assuming that the source is very close to the human, the difference between hearing the two sounds—the emitted sound and the reflected sound—may be more than the minimum time for perceiving distinct sounds. If this is the case, then the...
Imagine the sound is reflected back to the ears. Assuming that the source is very close to the human, the difference between hearing the two sounds—the emitted sound and the reflected sound—may be more than the minimum time for perceiving distinct sounds. If this is the case, then the...
01:31Hearing
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.
01:22Hair 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.
01:21Perceiving 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...
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...
01:54Convergent Evolution
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.