Development of spectral and temporal response selectivity in the auditory cortex.

ABSTRACT: The mechanisms by which hearing selectivity is elaborated and refined in early development are very incompletely determined. In this study, we documented contributions of progressively maturing inhibitory influences on the refinement of spectral and temporal response properties in the primary auditory cortex. Inhibitory receptive fields (IRFs) of infant rat auditory cortical neurons were spectrally far broader and had extended over far longer duration than did those of adults. The selective refinement of IRFs was delayed relative to that of excitatory receptive fields by an approximately 2-week period that corresponded to the critical period for plasticity. Local application of a GABA(A) receptor antagonist revealed that intracortical inhibition contributes to this progressive receptive fi

SUBMITTER: Chang EF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1283465 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature