TY - JOUR
T1 - Single-unit recording in the ventral cochlear nucleus of behaving cats
AU - May, Bradford J.
AU - Aleszczyk, Cynthia M.
AU - Sachs, Murray B.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the invaluable service of Dr. Eric Young, who contributed greatly to the conceptual design of these experiments and also created the computer system and software used to conduct them. Dr. Bryan Pfingst provided guidance on chronic surgical techniques. The laboratory of Dr. David Ryugo assisted in computer reconstructions of electrode tracks. Darren Miller assisted in data analysis, Phyllis Taylor performed histological procedures, and Howard Conner fabricated major components of the testing apparatus. This research was funded by NIH grants: NS08333 (BJM), DC00023 and DC00109 (MBS).
PY - 1991/12
Y1 - 1991/12
N2 - A method is described for single-unit recording in the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) of behaving cats. Five cats were implanted with titanium head-restraint devices and acetal plastic recording chambers. The recording chamber directed microelectrodes through the cerebellum and into the VCN. Electrophysiological recordings were obtained from isolated VCN units while the cats engaged in an auditory discrimination task. The task required the cats to discriminate changes in the temporal pattern of a series of tone or noise bursts. Cats initiated the testing sequence by depressing a lever, and obtained food by releasing the lever when the pattern of stimuli changed from one 200-ms burst/s to four 50-ms bursts/s. Stimulus features (i.e., frequency, level, duration) were manipulated to characterize the physiological responses of VCN units. Preliminary data suggest that peri-stimulus time histograms (PSTHs) and rate-level functions (RALVs) obtained from behaving cats are similar to those previously described in anesthetized and decerebrate cats when units are tested with tones in quiet backgrounds. However, in comparison to anesthetized and decerebrate cats, units obtained in behaving cats demonstrate a more sensitive rate representation of stimulus level when tested in continuous background noise.
AB - A method is described for single-unit recording in the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) of behaving cats. Five cats were implanted with titanium head-restraint devices and acetal plastic recording chambers. The recording chamber directed microelectrodes through the cerebellum and into the VCN. Electrophysiological recordings were obtained from isolated VCN units while the cats engaged in an auditory discrimination task. The task required the cats to discriminate changes in the temporal pattern of a series of tone or noise bursts. Cats initiated the testing sequence by depressing a lever, and obtained food by releasing the lever when the pattern of stimuli changed from one 200-ms burst/s to four 50-ms bursts/s. Stimulus features (i.e., frequency, level, duration) were manipulated to characterize the physiological responses of VCN units. Preliminary data suggest that peri-stimulus time histograms (PSTHs) and rate-level functions (RALVs) obtained from behaving cats are similar to those previously described in anesthetized and decerebrate cats when units are tested with tones in quiet backgrounds. However, in comparison to anesthetized and decerebrate cats, units obtained in behaving cats demonstrate a more sensitive rate representation of stimulus level when tested in continuous background noise.
KW - Behaving cats
KW - Cochlear nucleus
KW - Dynamic range
KW - Olivocochlear efferents
KW - Single-unit recording
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U2 - 10.1016/0165-0270(91)90065-8
DO - 10.1016/0165-0270(91)90065-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 1800853
AN - SCOPUS:0026344554
SN - 0165-0270
VL - 40
SP - 155
EP - 169
JO - Journal of Neuroscience Methods
JF - Journal of Neuroscience Methods
IS - 2-3
ER -