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Development of echolocation calls and neural selectivity for echolocation calls in the pallid bat
Khaleel A Razak1, Zoltan M Fuzessery2
1Department of Psychology and Graduate Neuroscience Program, University of California, Riverside, California.
Developmental Neurobiology
|August 22, 2014
Summary
Echolocating bats offer a unique model for understanding mammalian auditory development. Their vocalizations and neural processing reveal how experience shapes brain responses during sensitive periods.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory System Development
- Mammalian Vocalization
Background:
- Birdsong studies illuminate auditory system development, but mammalian vocalization development remains less understood.
- Echolocating bats provide a tractable model for studying mammalian auditory behavior development.
- Echolocation calls offer a simple, behaviorally relevant sound with strong neural selectivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review studies on echolocating bats (pallid and mustached bats) to understand mammalian auditory development.
- To explore how natural experience shapes cortical receptive field (RF) mechanisms in bats.
- To compare developmental trajectories of auditory processing in different bat species.
Main Methods:
- Summarizing recent research on the development of echolocation calls and their cortical processing in pallid bats.
- Discussing comparative studies in mustached bats.
- Analyzing the role of experience in shaping neural response properties.
Main Results:
- Different sensitive periods exist for various acoustic features of vocalizations, with some RF components developing independently.
- Experience is crucial for both refining and maintaining neural response properties, even those initially developing independently.
- Neural circuits utilize precise timing of inhibitory and excitatory inputs to develop selectivity for vocalizations.
Conclusions:
- Bat auditory systems demonstrate distinct developmental timelines for processing vocalizations.
- Experience plays a critical role in shaping auditory processing, influencing both development and maintenance of neural selectivity.
- Bat species diversity offers a valuable resource for investigating evolutionary constraints on neural mechanisms for vocalization processing.
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