Studies of hearing often rely on measuring responses in single neurons to pure tones, which are relatively simple stimuli. But naturally occurring sounds often are very complex, both in their frequency spectrum and their temporal pattern. This project, under the Research Opportunities for Women, will provide a planning grant to use a novel stimulus technique to explore the central auditory responses. Stimuli with rich spectra are used to elicit spiking activity in neurons, and the probability of spiking is correlated with excitatory or inhibitory inputs to that cell. This probing technique will be used on a major center for auditory processing, the cochlear nucleus, during development. Results will form the basis for research aimed at a more complete characterization of neuron responses in the cochlear nucleus, including how those responses develop from connections that become established.
