Some features of the spatial organization of the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus of the cat

Abstract

A series of neuroanatomical and neurophysiological experiments have been conducted within the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) of the cat in order to determine some features of the spatial organization of the nucleus. Results from these experiments have demonstrated: (1) the origins of the auditory brain stem afferents to ICC and the topography of those projections in relation to the cochleotopic organization of ICC; (2) the segregation of at least some of those brain stem projections within ICC; and (3) ICC neurons with similar response properties (response properties which are often similar or identical to those of neurons in brain stem auditory nuclei) are often clustered within the nucleus. These results provide evidence that the laminated division of the ICC probably consists of anatomically, physiologically, and functionally distinct subdivisions and that some aspects of auditory sensation may be encoded or represented separately (i.e., in spatially distinct "regions") within the nucleus.