Neural basis of amplitude-spectrum representation in auditory cortex of the mustached bat

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Abstract
For echolocation, the mustached bat P. parnellii rubiginosus emits a constant-frequency (CF) signal, which is followed by a frequency-modulated signal. The CF signal is suited for target detection and also for detection of target-velocity information. A large area of the auditory cortex of this species is devoted to processing information carried by the 2nd harmonic CF component of the biosonar signal, which is commonly Doppler shifted and which is predominantly between 61-63 kHz. This area, called the DSCF area, has the frequency vs. amplitude coordinates by which target-velocity and subtended targetangle information is systematically represented by a spatial distribution of neural activity. Differences in response properties between neurons at the periphery and in the DSCF area are electrophysiologically studied and the neural basis of the amplitude-spectrum representation is explored.