Topic: cochlear nucleus

Sensory features are encoded in topographically mapped neuronal populations in the brain. Their fine structure layout is not readily accessible due to their dense wiring and extended volume. To reveal their wiring logic, we combine genetic multicolor labeling of neural cells and large-volume micrometer scale imaging with color multiphoton microscopy. We present an analysis at single neuron resolution of the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB), an essential relay for sound localization, which receives inputs from the cochlear nucleus (CN). Multicolor multiphoton microscopy allowed us to

Deafness leads to different degrees of changes along the auditory pathway depending on the timing and duration. Here we investigate the effect of unilateral and bilateral neonatal deafness (ND) compared to bilateral adult deafness (AD) on the volume development of the cochlear nucleus (CN) of rats.Unilateral ND was induced in rats on postnatal (P) day 10 by intracochlear injection of neomycin. Bilateral ND was induced by intraperitoneal injection of kanamycin (P10-20). Bilateral AD was induced by injection of ethacrynic acid and kanamycin in 3- and 12-months old rats. Hearing thresholds of &gt

Globular bushy cells in the cochlear nucleus of the auditory brainstem circuit are responsible for the fast relay of signals to the superior olivary complex. Their axons possess a low internode length/axon diameter ratio (L/D) of ~60 that allow action potentials to travel along their axons with exceptional speed and precision. We investigate how the unusual myelination pattern develops. Recently, we showed that the internode length is determined early in development followed – after hearing onset - by an increase in axon diameter, which causes the L/D ratio to decrease. Additionally, we found

Pregnant women at risk of premature labor receive a single treatment with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (DEX) between the 24th and 34th week of pregnancy to ensure adequate maturation of the fetal organs. Due to the postponement of the due date, several doses are often administered. Because purinergic signaling plays an important role in the development of the auditory brainstem, particularly the cochlear nucleus, we investigated whether repeated DEX treatments affect components of the ADP-mediated (NTPDase2 and P2Y1R) and adenosinergic (CD73 and A1R) signaling systems. To compare

Synaptic integration is crucial for inter-neuronal communication, and excitatory-inhibitory integration is utterly important in lateral superior olive (LSO) neurons, enabling sound localization. For this purpose, LSO neurons integrate excitatory inputs from the ipsilateral cochlear nucleus (CN) with inhibitory inputs from the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB). The strength and number of excitatory and inhibitory inputs show notable differences. The convergence of multiple excitatory input fibers (~10‑40) is a source for synaptic noise in the spike driving inputs. We focused on how sy

Increasing evidence indicates that anesthetics strongly affect sensory representations and network dynamics in the thalamo-cortical circuits. By contrast, processing in the early sensory systems is thought to be mostly preserved under anesthesia, based on stimulus tuning properties like those observed in wakefulness. However, in the absence of recordings tracking the activity of the same neurons across states, there is no evidence that anesthesia preserves peripheral one-to-one sensory representations. Here, tracking for the first time the same cochlear nucleus neurons across wakefulness and i

The cochlear nucleus is the first processing unit of the ascending auditory pathway, where various neuron types integrate spike trains from convergent auditory nerve fibres (ANF). It is known that the neurons in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) differ morphologically and are categorised electrophysiologically, based on the shape of their peri-stimulus-time-histogram (PSTH) in response to acoustic stimulation with pure tones. Previous study on cats (Felis catus) reported that most AVCN neurons increase their firing probability and precision relative to the ANFs that innervate them. Thi