The overall objective of this research program is an understanding of the neuroethological bases of auditory communication. To achieve this objective, behavioral experiments on processing of biologically-relevant vocal signals in a """"""""simple"""""""" vertebrate auditory system will be conducted and the neurophysiological correlates of these phenomena will be examined. The major theme of the project is a quantitative analysis of temporal cues mediating recognition of species-specific communication sounds. An integrative neuroethological approach will be used to estimate absolute sensitivity and selectivity in noise to different kinds of temporal cues, particularly waveform periodicity and fine-temporal structure. Experiments will be conducted on 3 levels: (1) psychophysical; (2) ethological, studying the natural communication behavior; and (3) physiological. Because vocal communication in a noisy environment is a fundamental problem for many animals, the principles of neural coding derived from this research are relevant for understanding the representation of complex speech sounds in the human's nervous system. This research will also contribute to the understanding of the mechanism of pitch perception, a fundamental but difficult problem in psychoacoustics.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NS028565-03
Application #
3415119
Study Section
Biopsychology Study Section (BPO)
Project Start
1990-04-01
Project End
1993-03-31
Budget Start
1992-04-01
Budget End
1993-03-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Brown University
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
001785542
City
Providence
State
RI
Country
United States
Zip Code
02912
Simmons, Andrea Megela (2013) ""To ear is human, to frogive is divine"": Bob Capranica's legacy to auditory neuroethology. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 199:169-82
Simmons, Andrea M; Costa, Lauren M; Gerstein, Hilary B (2004) Lateral line-mediated rheotactic behavior in tadpoles of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis). J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 190:747-58
Simmons, Andrea Megela (2004) Call recognition in the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana: generalization along the duration continuum. J Acoust Soc Am 115:1345-55
Simmons, Andrea Megela; Chapman, Judith A (2002) Metamorphic changes in GABA immunoreactivity in the brainstem of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana. Brain Behav Evol 60:189-206
Horowitz, S S; Chapman, J A; Kaya, U et al. (2001) Metamorphic development of the bronchial columella of the larval bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana). Hear Res 154:12-25
Simmons, A M; Sanderson, M I; Garabedian, C E (2000) Representation of waveform periodicity in the auditory midbrain of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 1:24-Feb
Simmons, A M; Bean, M E (2000) Perception of mistuned harmonics in complex sounds by the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana). J Comp Psychol 114:167-73
Boatright-Horowitz, S S; Garabedian, C E; Odabashian, K H et al. (1999) Coding of amplitude modulation in the auditory midbrain of the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) across metamorphosis. J Comp Physiol A 184:219-31
Kumaresan, V; Kang, C; Simmons, A M (1998) Development and differentiation of the anuran auditory brainstem during metamorphosis: an acetylcholinesterase histochemical study. Brain Behav Evol 52:111-25
Boatright-Horowitz, S S; Simmons, A M (1997) Transient ""deafness"" accompanies auditory development during metamorphosis from tadpole to frog. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 94:14877-82

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