Sparse Representation of Sounds in the Unanesthetized Auditory Cortex

How do neuronal populations in the auditory cortex represent acoustic stimuli? Although sound-evoked neural responses in the anesthetized auditory cortex are mainly transient, recent experiments in the unanesthetized preparation have emphasized subpopulations with other response properties. To quantify the relative contributions of these different subpopulations in the awake preparation, we have estimated the representation of sounds across the neuronal population using a representative ensemble of stimuli. We used cell-attached recording with a glass electrode, a method for which single-unit isolation does not depend on neuronal activity, to quantify the fraction of neurons engaged by acoustic stimuli (tones,…

• AP
  Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
• GH
  G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation
• NI
  National Institutes of Health
• DF
  Directorate for Biological Sciences