Long-term temporal integration in the anuran auditory system

Abstract

Analysis of the temporal structure of acoustic signals is important for the communication and survival of a variety of animals including humans. Recognition and discrimination of particular temporal patterns in sounds may involve integration of auditory information presented over hundreds of milliseconds or seconds. Here we show neural evidence for long-term integration in the anuran auditory system. The responses of one class of auditory neurons in the torus semicircularis (auditory midbrain) of frogs reflect the integration of information, gathered over approximately 45-150 ms, from a series of stimulus pulses, not stimulus energy. This integration process is fundamental to the selective responses of these neurons for particular call types.