Neuronal correlates of auditory streaming in the auditory cortex of behaving monkeys. (31st August 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Selezneva, Elena; Gorkin, Alexander; Budinger, Eike; Brosch, Michael
• Is Part Of: European journal of neuroscience. Volume 48:Number 10(2018)
• Page Start: 3234
• Page End: 3245
• Publication Date: 2018-08-31
• Subjects: audiovisual -- bistable perception -- population separation model -- rivalry -- temporal processing; Nervous system -- Periodicals; 612.8
• DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14098
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0953-816X

Abstract

Abstract: This study tested the hypothesis that spiking activity in the primary auditory cortex of monkeys is related to auditory stream formation. Evidence for this hypothesis was previously obtained in animals that were passively exposed to stimuli and in which differences in the streaming percept were confounded with differences between the stimuli. In this study, monkeys performed an operant task on sequences that were composed of light flashes and tones. The tones alternated between a high and a low frequency and could be perceived either as one auditory stream or two auditory streams. The flashes promoted either a one‐stream percept or a two‐stream percept. Comparison of different types of sequences revealed that the neuronal responses to the alternating tones were more similar when the flashes promoted auditory stream integration, and were more dissimilar when the flashes promoted auditory stream segregation. Thus our findings show that the spiking activity in the monkey primary auditory cortex is related to auditory stream formation. Abstract : We show that spiking activity in the primary auditory cortex is related to auditory stream formation. Monkeys performed an operant task on tone sequences that were synchronized in different ways with light flashes. This revealed that the neuronal responses to the sequential tones were more similar when the flashes promoted perceptual integration of the tones, and were more dissimilar when the flashes promoted perceptual segregation of the tones.