Statistical Characteristics of the Spike Activity of Neurons in the Midbrain Auditory Center in Frogs on Exposure to Tones Modulated by Low-Frequency Noise

The time parameters of the spike activity of single neurons in the brainstem part of the auditory system carry basic information on the properties of perceived signals. To characterize these parameters, the activity of single neurons in the midbrain center (semicircular torus) of the common frog (Rana temporaria) was studied on exposure to prolonged tones amplitude-modulated with repeating bursts of low-frequency noise. Time-shuffled autocorrelation functions were calculated, these corresponding to the sum of the correlation functions between responses to all bursts presented with the exception of responses evoked by one of the bursts. This approach excludes the effects of the refractory properties of the neuron being studied, allowing the responses of a single neuron to be used to evaluate the nature of the spike activity in the local population of cells with presumptively identical properties but which are statistically independent of each other. Significant variation in the statistical characteristics of output spike activity in different cells in the semicircular toroid was found, such that signals could be characterized in terms of different time properties. Neurons with highly specific reactions to the time characteristics of the envelope were observed.

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