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Time is traded for intensity in the bat's auditory system.

¹Department of Zoology, University of Texas, Austin 78712.

Hearing Research

|November 1, 1988

Summary

Mexican free-tailed bats use sound intensity and timing to locate sounds. Their auditory neurons trade sound intensity for timing differences, suggesting a key mechanism for spatial hearing in these bats.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Bioacoustics
Auditory System Research

Background:

Animals use interaural time and intensity disparities for sound localization.
Molossidae bats use brief, downward-sweeping ultrasonic echolocation signals.
Small head width in bats limits interaural time disparities but creates intensity differences.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate binaural processing of time and intensity disparities in bats.
Simulate natural echolocation calls using brief FM signals.
Record from inferior colliculus neurons in Mexican free-tailed bats.

Main Methods:

Recorded from binaural excitatory-inhibitory (E-I) neurons in the inferior colliculus.
Used brief FM signals to mimic bat echolocation calls.
Tested sensitivity to interaural time and intensity disparities.

Main Results:

Most E-I neurons were sensitive to temporal disparities of 100-300 microseconds.
Some neurons responded to changes as small as 10-20 microseconds.
All tested neurons showed sensitivity to intensity disparities, trading time for intensity (average 47 microseconds/dB).

Conclusions:

The auditory system transforms interaural level differences into neural latency differences.
Discharge probability is primarily determined by arrival times at excitatory and inhibitory ears.
Small interaural time disparities likely play a minor role in spatial selectivity due to significant time-intensity trading.

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