Seasonal variations in auditory processing in the inferior colliculus of Eptesicus fuscus.

Seasonal variations in auditory processing in the inferior colliculus of Eptesicus fuscus. Hear Res. 2016 Jul 26; Authors: Miller KE, Barr K, Krawczyk M, Covey E Abstract Eptesicus fuscus is typical of temperate zone bats in that both sexes undergo marked seasonal changes in behavior, endocrine status, and reproductive status. Acoustic communication plays a key role in many seasonal behaviors. For example, males emit specialized vocalizations during mating in the fall, and females use different specialized vocalizations to communicate with infants in late spring. Bats of both sexes use echolocation for foraging during times of activity, but engage in little sound-directed behavior during torpor and hibernation in winter. Auditory processing might be expected to reflect these marked seasonal changes. To explore the possibility that seasonal changes in hormonal status could drive functional plasticity in the central auditory system, we examined responses of single neurons in the inferior colliculus throughout the year. The average first-spike latency in females varied seasonally, almost doubling in spring compared to other times of year. First-spike latencies in males remained relatively stable throughout the year. Latency jitter for both sexes was higher in winter and spring than in summer or fall. Females had more burst responders than other discharge patterns throughout the year whereas males had more transient responders at all tim...
Source: Hearing Research - Category: Audiology Authors: Tags: Hear Res Source Type: research