Persistent and specific influences of early acoustic environments on primary auditory cortex

• Published in: Nature neuroscience Vol. 4; no. 11; pp. 1123 - 1130
• Main Authors: Zhang, Li I, Bao, Shaowen, Merzenich, Michael M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Nature Publishing Group 01-11-2001
• Subjects: Acoustic Stimulation; Acoustics; Adults; Aging - physiology; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Auditory cortex; Auditory Cortex - anatomy & histology; Auditory Cortex - growth & development; Auditory Cortex - physiology; Auditory Perception - physiology; Bats; Electrophysiology; Environment; Neurons - physiology; Publishing; Rats; United States; United States > US; San Francisco California; California
• ISSN: 1097-6256; 1546-1726
• DOI: 10.1038/nn745

This study demonstrates that the adult form of 'tonotopic maps' of sound frequency in the rat primary auditory cortex (A1) arises from parallel developmental processes involving two cortical zones: the progressive differentiation and refinement of selectively tone-responsive receptive fields within an initially broadly-tuned posterior zone, and the progressive loss of tone-evoked, short-latency response over an initially large, very broadly tuned anterior zone. The formation of tonotopic maps in A1 was specifically influenced by a rat pup's early acoustic environments. Exposure to pulsed tones resulted in accelerated emergence and an expansion of A1 representations of those specific tone frequencies, as well as a deteriorated tonotopicity and broader-than-normal receptive fields. Thus, auditory experiences during early postnatal development are important in shaping the functional development of auditory cortical representations of specific acoustic environments.