The goal of our program is the understanding of how the vertebrate auditory nervous system processes species-specific vocal signals. This research will focus on both the neural basis of recognition of these signals as well as the underlying mechanisms that enable their spatial localization. Our approach is based primarily on our previous neurobehavioral studies of anurans (frogs and toads) spanning the past many years. Since we have found that the peripheral and central auditory nervous system of different species is selectively tuned to detect certain signal features in their species-specific advertisement calls, we wish to continue to explore the transformations at various levels of their auditory system which give rise to the selectivity. We also will begin studies of neural encoding of the other calls in their vocal repertoire to determine if there are separate channels for processing these other important sounds. Recordings from single neurons will be conducted in the eighth nerve, brainstem nuclei, and in the forebrain of anesthetized animals in response to a variety of acoustic stimuli including natural and synthetic vocal signals. From a recent behavioral study we have evidence that anurans rely on a pressure gradient mechanism involving sound coupling through their Eustachian tubes to their bilateral middle ear cavities in order to achieve accurate sound localization. In a collaborative study we will employ laser vibrometry to characterize the biophysical principles involved in this novel scheme. We believe that the results of our overall research program will provide needed insight into similar questions of sensory processing of vocal signals in higher vertebrates but which are much more difficult to unravel. We are convinced that studies of lower, simpler vocal vertebrates serve as valuable models for understanding the fundamental processes that have given rise to hearing and speech recognition in the human auditory nervous system.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DC000092-22
Application #
3215645
Study Section
Hearing Research Study Section (HAR)
Project Start
1974-09-01
Project End
1994-08-31
Budget Start
1992-09-01
Budget End
1993-08-31
Support Year
22
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Cornell University
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Ithaca
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
14850
Bass, Andrew H (2014) Central pattern generator for vocalization: is there a vertebrate morphotype? Curr Opin Neurobiol 28:94-100
Rohmann, Kevin N; Fergus, Daniel J; Bass, Andrew H (2013) Plasticity in ion channel expression underlies variation in hearing during reproductive cycles. Curr Biol 23:678-83
Fergus, Daniel J; Bass, Andrew H (2013) Localization and divergent profiles of estrogen receptors and aromatase in the vocal and auditory networks of a fish with alternative mating tactics. J Comp Neurol 521:2850-69
Kittelberger, J Matthew; Bass, Andrew H (2013) Vocal-motor and auditory connectivity of the midbrain periaqueductal gray in a teleost fish. J Comp Neurol 521:791-812
Chagnaud, Boris P; Bass, Andrew H (2013) Vocal corollary discharge communicates call duration to vertebrate auditory system. J Neurosci 33:18775-80
Banerjee, Sunayana B; Arterbery, Adam S; Fergus, Daniel J et al. (2012) Deprivation of maternal care has long-lasting consequences for the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of zebra finches. Proc Biol Sci 279:759-66
Chagnaud, Boris P; Baker, Robert; Bass, Andrew H (2011) Vocalization frequency and duration are coded in separate hindbrain nuclei. Nat Commun 2:346
Rice, Aaron N; Land, Bruce R; Bass, Andrew H (2011) Nonlinear acoustic complexity in a fish 'two-voice' system. Proc Biol Sci 278:3762-8
Arterbery, Adam S; Fergus, Daniel J; Fogarty, Elizabeth A et al. (2011) Evolution of ligand specificity in vertebrate corticosteroid receptors. BMC Evol Biol 11:14
Rohmann, Kevin N; Bass, Andrew H (2011) Seasonal plasticity of auditory hair cell frequency sensitivity correlates with plasma steroid levels in vocal fish. J Exp Biol 214:1931-42

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