title: Functional organization of the mammalian auditory midbrain.
abstract: The inferior colliculus (IC) is a critical nexus between the auditory brainstem and the forebrain. Parallel auditory pathways that emerge from the brainstem are integrated in the IC. In this integration, de-novo auditory information processed as local and ascending inputs converge via the complex neural circuit of the IC. However, it is still unclear how information is processed within the neural circuit. The purpose of this review is to give an anatomical and physiological overview of the IC neural circuit. We address the functional organization of the IC where the excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs interact to shape the responses of IC neurons to sound.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, 06030-3401, USA. onomn@kanazawa-med.ac.jp.|Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University, Uchinada, Ishikawa, 920-0293, Japan. onomn@kanazawa-med.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Munenori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Eiheiji, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan.|Research and Education Program for Life Science, University of Fukui, Fukui, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsufumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007245:Inferior Colliculi / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008322:Mammals / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology
keywords: GABAergic neuron; Inferior colliculus; Local circuit; Membrane property; Synaptic inputs