Neurons in primary auditory cortex represent sound source location in a cue-invariant manner
Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: Auditory cortex is required for sound localisation, but how neural firing in auditory cortex underlies our perception of sound sources in space remains unclear. Specifically, whether neurons in auditory cortex represent spatial cues or an integrated representation of auditory space across cues is not known. Here, we measured the spatial receptive fields of neurons in primary auditory cortex (A1) while ferrets performed a relative localisation task. Manipulating the availability of binaural and spectral localisation cues had little impact on ferrets’ performance, or on neural spatial tuning. A subpopulation of neurons encoded spatial position consistently across localisation cue type. Furthermore, neural firing pattern decoders outperformed two-channel model decoders using population activity. Together, these observations suggest that A1 encodes the location of sound sources, as opposed to spatial cue values.
Source: Nature Communications
Institutions: University College London, University of Pennsylvania
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,108
Awards: G1423896556, G4137951624, Identifying the signal in the noise: a systems approach for examining invariance in auditory cortex, G5102982189, Listening in a noisy world: the role of visual activity in auditory cortex for sound perception., G6628891574, Listening in a noisy world: the role of visual activity in auditory cortex for sound perception., G8576659442
OpenAlex ID: W2961226007