Neural responses to free-field auditory stimulation in the superior colliculus of the wallaby (Macropus engenii)

Abstract

Auditory responses to free-field broad band stimulation from different directions were recorded from clusters of neurones in the superior colliculus (SC) of the anaesthetized tammar wallaby. The auditory responses were found approximately 2 mm beneath the first recording of visually evoked responses in the superficial layers, the vast majority being solely auditory in nature; only one recording responded to both auditory and visual stimulation. Responses to suprathreshold intensities displayed sharp spatial tuning to sound in the contralateral hemifield. Those from the rostral pole of the SC disclosed a preference for auditory stimuli in the azimuthal anterior field, whereas those in the caudal SC preferentially responded to sounds in the posterior field. A continuum of directionally tuned responses was seen along the rostrocaudal axis of the SC so that the entire azimuthal contralateral auditory hemifield was represented in the SC. Furthermore, tight spatial alignment was evident between the best position of the visual responses in the superficial layers in azimuth and the peak angle of the auditory response in the deeper layers.