A biologically plausible computational model of classical conditioning induced reorganization of tonotopic maps in the auditory cortex

Abstract

A model of the auditory system with realistic biophysical traits based on experimental data has been constructed with the neurosimulator GENESIS, aiming at producing formation and reorganization of tonotopic cortical maps in a simulation of area AI of the auditory cortex which comprises 2256 pyramidal and 1128 basket cells and receives inputs from a 47-receptor model cochlea and from a source of excitatory stimulus which represents an unconditioned stimulus (US) in simulations of classical conditioning. The simulations performed with the model yielded tonotopic cortical representations, which presented reorganization in simulations of classical conditioning. The reorganization observed favored the processing of the frequency chosen as conditioned stimulus (CS).