Arterial blood supply to the auditory cortex of the chinchilla

Attenuating Cardiac Pulsations within the Cochlea: Structure and Function of Tortuous Vessels Feeding Stria Vascularis

The mammalian ear has an extraordinary capacity to detect very low-level acoustic signals from the environment. Sound pressures as low as a few μ Pa (-10 dB SPL) can activate cochlear hair cells. To achieve this sensitivity, biological noise has to be minimized including that generated by cardiovascular pulsation. Generally, cardiac pressure changes are transmitted to most peripheral capillary beds; however, such signals within the stria vascularis of the cochlea would be highly disruptive. Not least, it would result in a constant auditory sensation of heartbeat. We investigate special adaptations in cochlear vasculature that serve to attenuate cardiac pulse signals. We describe the structure of tortuous arterioles that feed stria vascularis as seen in corrosion casts of the cochlea. We provide a mathematical model to explain the role of this unique vascular anatomy in dampening pulsatile blood flow to the stria vascularis.

Responses of neurons in chinchilla auditory cortex to frequency-modulated tones

Frequency-modulated (FM) stimuli have been used to explore the behavior of neurons in the auditory cortex of several animal models; however, the properties of FM-sensitive auditory cortical neurons in the chinchilla are still unknown. Single-unit responses to FM stimulation were obtained from the auditory cortex of anesthetized adult chinchillas (Chinchilla laniger). Upward and downward linear FM sweeps spanning frequencies from 0.1 to 20 kHz were presented at speeds of 0.05 to 0.82 kHz/ms. Results indicated that >90% of sampled neurons were responsive to FM sweeps. The population preference was for upward FM sweeps and for medium to fast speeds (> or =0.3 kHz/ms). Few units (3%) were selective for downward FM sweeps, whereas <22% of units preferred slow speeds (< or =0.1 kHz/ms). Velocity preference and direction sensitivity were positively correlated for upward sweeps only (r = 0.40, P = 0.0021, t-test). Three types of firing rate patterns were observed in the FM response peristimulus time histograms: a single peak at sweep onset/offset ("onset") and a single peak ("late") or multiple peaks ("burst") during the sweep. "Late" units expressed the highest mean values for direction sensitivity and speed selectivity; "onset" units were selective only for direction and "burst" units were not selective for either direction or speed. The robust responsiveness of these neurons to FM sweeps suggests a functional role for FM detection such as the identification of FM sweeps present in vocalizations of other organisms within the chinchilla's natural environment.