Studies on the function of the GABAergic projection from the superior paraolivary nucleus to the inferior colliculus in natural call perception

Abstract

Animals including humans use the natural calls for the efficient social communication. The natural call is a complex sound with dynamic changes in its spectral and temporal features along the time. The superior paraolivary nucleus (SPON) is a prominent structure in the mammalian auditory brainstem and is well-known to shape the temporal responses in the inferior colliculus (IC). However, we still do not clearly understand how the SPON-to-IC circuit is involved in processing temporal features in the natural calls. To examine the role of the SPON-IC circuit in natural call perception, we devised a behavioral paradigm for testing the pup-call preference in the mother mice. Our data demonstrates that optogenetic disruption of the SPON-IC activity can impair the natural call perceptual behavior.