Frequency Selectivity Behaviour in the Auditory Midbrain:Implications of Model Study

Abstract

By numerical simulations on frequency dependence of the spikingthreshold, i.e. on the critical amplitude of periodic stimulus, for aneuron to fire, we find that bushy cells in the cochlear nuclear exhibitfrequency selectivity behaviour. However, the selective frequency bandof a bushy cell is far away from that of the preferred spectral range inhuman and mammal auditory perception. The mechanism underlying thisneural activity is also discussed. Further studies show that the ionchannel densities have little impact on the selective frequency band ofbushy cells. These findings suggest that the neuronal behaviour offrequency selectivity in bushy cells at both the single cell andpopulation levels may be not functionally relevant to frequencydiscrimination. Our results may reveal a neural hint to thereconsideration on the bushy cell functional role in auditoryinformation processing of sound frequency.