Topography of acoustic response characteristics in the midbrain inferior colliculus of Kunming mouse

Topography of acoustic response characteristics of the midbrain inferior colliculus(IC)of the Kunming mouse was studied by using extracellular recording techniques.The characteristic frequency(CF)range represented in the different divisions of the IC differed markedly:4-15 kHz in the dorsal cortex(DC),10-70 kHz in the central nucleus(CN),and 4-35kHz in the external cortex(EC).The CF in the CN increased from dorsal and lateral to ventral and medial,higher CFs represented at its ventromedial part and lower CFs at its dorsal part.The isofrequency contours of CFs were incurvate.Minimum thresholds(MT)of the auditory neurons in DC and the central part of CN were lower(about 10dB SPL),but considerably higher in the dorsal and ventral region of EC.Results suggest that each of the divisions in the mouse IC may have different auditory functions.     

Corticofugal modulation of frequency tuning of inferior collicular neurons in big brown bat,Eptesicus fuscus

In order to explore the possible mechanism of corticofugal modulation of excitatory frequency tuning curves (EFTCs) of midbrain neurons, we examined the change of sharpness, frequency-intensity response area, minimum threshold of both EFTCs and inhibitory frequency tuning curves (IFTCs) of inferior collicular neurons during corticofugal modulation using two-tone inhibition paradigm and micro-electrical stimulation technique. Our data showed that corticofugal inhibition increased sharpness, minimum threshold, and decreased the frequency-intensity response area of EFTCs, at the same time it decreased the sharpness, minimum threshold but increased the frequency-intensity response area of IFTCs. The opposite results were observed for EFTCs and IFTCs of corticofugally facilitated inferior collicular neurons. During corticofugal inhibition, the percent change of frequency-intensity response area of EFTCs had significant correlation with the percent change of that of IFTCs. These data suggest that cortical neurons are likely to improve frequency information processing of inferior collicular neurons by modulation of IFTCs.     

声负载增加导致老年鼠下丘神经元潜伏期波动性加强

基于我们先前的研究,主要探讨了小鼠下丘神经元声反应伏期的年龄相关性改变.自由声场条件下,声刺激为特征频率的短纯音(40 ms),呈现率为0.5～20 Hz共8种.结果显示,幼年鼠和成年鼠中,潜伏期随呈现率升高而单调递增的神经元分别点62.8%(22/35)和66.7%(22/23),而老年鼠中只占33.3%(11/33),但非单调比则达66.7%(22/23).我们的初步结果提示,老年性听力低下可能与大声负载条件下听中枢神经元的时相表征稳定性下降有关.     

鼠耳蝠下丘听神经元对超声刺激的反应特性

实验在５只鼠耳蜗上进行，共观察了２２７个对超声刺激发生反应的下丘听神经元。这些神经元听反应的最佳频率在１４．３－７６．２ｋＨｚ之间；潜伏期在３．０－１２．０毫秒之间，多数神经元（７９．３％）为５．０－７．０毫秒；最低阈值位于－２０．０－７０．０ｄＢ ＳＰＬ之间；多数神经元（８２．０５％）的调谐曲线为宽阔型，少数（１７．９５％）为狭窄型；反应最佳频率沿下丘背腹轴呈明显有序地排列。     

脑对双耳听觉信息整合的神经机制

综述近60 a来有关脑对双耳听觉信息整合的神经机制的研究进展.首先介绍了脑处理双耳信息的神经解剖学基础，双耳神经元的分类及其生理特性，以及双耳神经元在听觉系统的拓扑学分布研究；然后对脑处理双耳听觉信息研究的热点领域进行了重点探讨，综述了上橄榄复合体、下丘和听皮层双耳神经元对双耳时间差和双耳强度差的编码方式，以及脑通过对这些参数的编码来分析声源方位的神经生理学研究进展；最后对该领域未来研究方向作展望.     

不同时程的前掩蔽声对小鼠下丘神经元声反应的掩蔽效应

自由声场条件下,以强度为神经元最佳频率阈上5dB,时程分别为40、60、80和100ms的纯音作为前掩蔽声,观察和记录了不同时程掩蔽声对小鼠(MusmusculusKm)下丘神经元发放和声强处理的影响.结果发现:随掩蔽声时程的增加,神经元发放抑制率逐渐增大(P<0.0001,n=41),反应潜伏期延长(P<0.01,n=41);其中受掩蔽声抑制的41个神经元中,绝大部分的(90.2%,37/41)反应动力学范围随掩蔽声时程的增加而逐渐变窄(P<0.0001),另有4个神经元的反应动力学范围则出现增加(9.8%,4/41).推测前掩蔽声的时程效应与掩蔽声激活的抑制性输入强度以及持续时间相关.     

猫上丘灰质层年龄相关的形态学变化

为观察、比较青年猫和老年猫上丘(superior colliculus SC)灰质层神经元密度及S100蛋白表达的变化,探讨导致相关变化的原因及其意义.用Nissl法显示上丘各层神经元及其分层结构,免疫组织化学方法(SABC法)示S100免疫阳性(S100-IR)细胞.光镜下观察、拍照,计数上丘各灰质层中神经元密度和S100-IR细胞密度.结果显示:与青年猫相比,老年猫上丘灰质层神经元密度显著下降(P<0.01),S100蛋白表达显著增强(P<0.01),胞体较大,阳性较强.说明动物衰老过程中,上丘灰质层存在着明显的神经元丢失,并伴随有星形胶质细胞反应性增生.     

Activation of SC during electrical stimulation of LGN: retinal antidromic stimulation or corticocollicular activation?

We have recently used combined electrostimulation, neurophysiology, microinjection and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the cortical activity patterns elicited during stimulation of cortical afferents in monkeys. We found that stimulation of a site in lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) increases the fMRI signal in the regions of primary visual cortex receiving input from that site, but suppresses it in the retinotopically matched regions of extrastriate cortex. Intracortical injection experiments showed that such suppression is due to synaptic inhibition. During these experiments, we have consistently observed activation of superior colliculus (SC) following LGN stimulation. Since LGN does not directly project to SC, the current study investigated the origin of SC activation. By examining experimental manipulations inactivating the primary visual cortex, we present here evidence that the robust SC activation, which follows the stimulation of LGN, is due to the activation of corticocollicular pathway.     

基于自然图像认知的大鼠上丘神经元恐惧信息编码机制

为了探究大鼠对自然图像的认知效果以及在自然图像认知过程中上丘(superior colliculus, SC)神经元的恐惧信息编码机制,采用条件性恐惧联结训练方法,设计了基于三种不同情感属性自然图像的实验方案(恐惧:"蛇"、中性:"树"、奖励:"鼠粮"),对大鼠进行了视觉认知训练。首先,从行为学分析了大鼠对具有不同情感意义自然图像的认知效果;其次,采用第一动作电位延时(first spike latency, FSL)以及Spike(峰电位)平均发放率两种编码方法,研究了大鼠上丘神经元在自然图像认知学习过程中的恐惧信息编码机制。结果表明,大鼠对奖励、恐惧、中性三种图像的抉择正确率分别在第6、22、26 d达到了75%基准线。训练后,在恐惧图像的刺激作用下,大鼠上丘神经元集群的平均FSL值显著低于训练前,且神经元集群的Spike发放率显著提高。这些结果揭示了恐惧信息能够激活大鼠上丘脑区,并通过SC脑区实现恐惧信息快速传递与表征。     

Effects of forward masking on the responses of the inferior collicular neurons in the big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus

The present study explores the forward masking of the two-tone stimuli in sequence that evoked responses in the inferior colliculns (IC) of the echolocating bats. The results indicate that forward masking is obvious in the acoustic responses of the IC neurons to the two-tone stimuli.Meanwhile the intensity sensitivity of the neurons responding to the probe increases with the inter-tone interval decreasing. The effects of forward masking are correlated with the relative intensity and the interval between the masker and probe. That is, the effects of forward masking are reduced with the masker intensity decreasing and enhanced with the probe intensity decreasing and the inter-tone interval shortened. The present study suggests that there is a correlation between the characteristics of the response to the probe and the dynamic conditions of the postsynaptic currents in the IC neurons.