Focal electrical stimulation of dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus modulates auditory response properties of inferior collicular neurons in the albino mouse

Mar 13, 2019Hearing research

Targeted electrical stimulation of a brainstem sound-processing center changes hearing responses in mouse midbrain neurons

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Abstract

Focal electrical stimulation of contralateral DNLL produces inhibition in 78.1% of the response properties of modulated IC neurons.

Contralateral DNLL stimulation can lead to inhibition, facilitation, or no effect on the firing characteristics of IC neurons.
The modulation of IC neuron responses is inversely related to the difference in best frequency between DNLL and IC neurons (p < 0.01).
Application of bicuculline removes the inhibitory effects induced by DNLL stimulation on IC neurons.
DNLL inhibition alters the amplitude sensitivity of IC neurons by affecting their dynamic range and the slope of the rate-amplitude function.

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The inferior colliculus (IC) receives and integrates excitatory and inhibitory inputs from many bilateral lower auditory nuclei, intrinsic projections within IC, contralateral IC through the commissure of IC and from the auditory cortex (AC). These excitatory and inhibitory inputs from both ascending and descending auditory pathways contribute significantly to auditory response properties and temporal signal processing in IC. The present study examines the contribution of gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic (GABAergic) inhibition of dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (DNLL) in influencing the response properties and amplitude sensitivity of contralateral IC neurons using focal electrical stimulation of contralateral DNLL and by the application of bicuculline to the recording site of modulated IC neurons. Focal electrical stimulation of contralateral DNLL produces inhibition (78.1%), facilitation (7.1%) or no effect (14.8%) in the number of spikes, firing duration and the first-spike latency of modulated IC neurons. The degree of modulation is inversely correlated to the difference in best frequency (BF) between electrically stimulated DNLL neurons and modulated IC neurons (p < 0.01). The application of bicuculline to the recording site of modulated IC neurons abolishes the inhibitory effect of focal electrical stimulation of DNLL neurons. DNLL inhibition also modulates the amplitude sensitivity of IC neurons by changing the dynamic range (DR) and the slope of rate-amplitude function (RAF) of modulated IC neurons. Possible biological significance of these findings in relation to auditory signal processing is discussed.

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Focal electrical stimulation of dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus modulates auditory response properties of inferior collicular neurons in the albino mouse

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