Differential synaptic processing separates stationary from transient inputs to the auditory cortex.

Full Abstract

Sound features are blended together en route to the central nervous system before being discriminated for further processing by the cortical synaptic network. The mechanisms underlying this synaptic processing, however, are largely unexplored. Intracortical processing of the auditory signal was investigated by simultaneously recording from pairs of connected principal neurons in layer II/III in slices from A1 auditory cortex. Physiological patterns of stimulation in the presynaptic cell revealed two populations of postsynaptic events that differed in mean amplitude, failure rate, kinetics and short-term plasticity. In contrast, transmission between layer II/III pyramidal neurons in barrel cortex were uniformly of large amplitude and high success (release) probability (Pr). These unique features of auditory cortical transmission may provide two distinct mechanisms for discerning and separating transient from stationary features of the auditory signal at an early stage of cortical processing.

Author information

Author/s: Atzori, M (M); Lei, S (S); Evans, D I (DI); Kanold, P O (PO); Phillips-Tansey, E (E); McIntyre, O (O); McBain, C J (CJ);

Affiliation: LCMN/NICHD/NIH, Rm 5A72, Bldg 49, Convent Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4495, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Nature neuroscience (Nat Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2001-Dec; vol 4 (issue 12) : pp 1230-7

Dates: Created 2001/11/27; Completed 2002/01/11; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 11694887, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Nat Neurosci. 2001 Dec;4(12):1157-8. (PMID: 11723456)

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