Corticofugal modulation of directional sensitivity in the midbrain of the big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus

Abstract

In our recent study of corticofugal modulation of collicular amplitude sensitivity of the big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus, we suggested that the corticofugal modulation is based upon the best frequency (BF) differences and the relative amplitude sensitivity difference between collicular (IC) and cortical (AC) neurons but not the absolute amplitude sensitivity of IC and AC neurons. To show that corticofugal modulation is systematic and multiparametric, we studied corticofugal modulation of directional sensitivity in 89 corticofugally inhibited IC neurons in the same bat species under free field stimulation conditions. A neuron’s directional sensitivity was expressed with the azimuthal range (AR) at 50% below the maximum of each directional sensitivity curve and the best azimuth (BAZ) at which the neuron discharged maximally. Cortical electrical stimulation did not affect the directional sensitivity of 40 (45%) neurons with BF IC–AC differences of 7.3 ± 4.4 kHz but sharpened the directional sensitivity of other 49 (55%) neurons with BF IC–AC differences of 2.3 ± 1.8 kHz. Corticofugal modulation sharpened directional sensitivity curves of IC neurons by decreasing the AR and shifting collicular BAZ toward cortical BAZ. The decrease in AR and the shift in BAZ increased significantly with AR IC–AC and BAZ IC–AC differences but not with absolute AR and BAZ of IC and AC neurons or BF IC–AC differences. Corticofual modulation also shifted collicular BF toward cortical BF. The shift in BF increased significantly with BF IC–AC differences but not with the BF of IC and AC neurons or BAZ shift. Consonant with our previous study, these data indicate that corticofugal modulation of collicular directional sensitivity is based on topographic projections between the IC and the AC and the difference in directional sensitivity but not the absolute directional sensitivity of IC or AC neurons.