Neural processing of target distance by echolocating bats: functional roles of the auditory midbrain

Jeffrey J Wenstrup; Christine V Portfors

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.12.015

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Neural processing of target distance by echolocating bats: functional roles of the auditory midbrain

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Neural processing of target distance by echolocating bats: functional roles of the auditory midbrain

Jeffrey J Wenstrup and Christine V Portfors

Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, Vol.35(10), pp.2073-2083

11/2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.12.015

Handle:

https://hdl.handle.net/2376/101064

PMCID: PMC3100454

PMID: 21238485

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Abstract

Animals

Auditory Pathways - physiology

Echolocation - physiology

Neurons - physiology

Inferior Colliculi - physiology

Auditory Cortex - physiology

Chiroptera - physiology

Models, Neurological

Auditory Perception - physiology

Brain Mapping - psychology

Using their biological sonar, bats estimate distance to avoid obstacles and capture moving prey. The primary distance cue is the delay between the bat's emitted echolocation pulse and the return of an echo. The mustached bat's auditory midbrain (inferior colliculus, IC) is crucial to the analysis of pulse-echo delay. IC neurons are selective for certain delays between frequency modulated (FM) elements of the pulse and echo. One role of the IC is to create these "delay-tuned", "FM-FM" response properties through a series of spectro-temporal integrative interactions. A second major role of the midbrain is to project target distance information to many parts of the brain. Pathways through auditory thalamus undergo radical reorganization to create highly ordered maps of pulse-echo delay in auditory cortex, likely contributing to perceptual features of target distance analysis. FM-FM neurons in IC also project strongly to pre-motor centers including the pretectum and the pontine nuclei. These pathways may contribute to rapid adjustments in flight, body position, and sonar vocalizations that occur as a bat closes in on a target.

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Title: Neural processing of target distance by echolocating bats: functional roles of the auditory midbrain
Creators: Jeffrey J Wenstrup - Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4209 State Route 44, Rootstown, OH 44272, United States. jjw@neoucom.edu
Christine V Portfors
Publication Details: Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, Vol.35(10), pp.2073-2083
Academic Unit: Office of the Provost
Publisher: United States
Grant note: R01 DC00937 / NIDCD NIH HHS R01 DC000937-20 / NIDCD NIH HHS R01 DC000937 / NIDCD NIH HHS
Identifiers: 99900546672301842
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article