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Ontogenesis of auditory fovea representation in the inferior colliculus of the Sri Lankan rufous horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus rouxi

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Summary

This report describes the ontogenesis of tonotopy in the inferior colliculus (IC) of the rufous horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus rouxi). Horseshoe bats are deaf at birth, but consistent tonotopy with a low-to-high frequency gradient from dorsolateral to ventromedial develops from the 2nd up to the 5th week. The representation of the auditory fovea is established in ventro-mediocaudal parts of the IC during the 3rd postnatal week (Fig. 3). Then, a narrow frequency band 5 kHz in width, comprising 16% of the bat's auditory range, captures 50–60 vol% of the IC (Fig. 3c). However, foveal tuning is 10–12 kHz (1/3 octave) lower than in adults; foveal tuning in females (65–68 kHz) is 2–3 kHz higher than in males (62–65 kHz). Thereafter, foveal tuning increases by 1–1.5 kHz per day up to the 5th postnatal week, when the adult hearing range is established (Figs. 4, 5). The increase of sensitivity and of tuning sharpness of single units also follows a low-to-high frequency gradient (Fig. 6).

Throughout this development the foveal tuning matches the second harmonic of the echolocation pulses vocalised by these young bats. The results confirm the hypothesis of developmental shifts in the frequency-place code for the foveal high frequency representation in the IC.

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Abbreviations

BF :

best frequency

CF :

constant frequency

FM :

frequency modulation

IC :

inferior colliculus

IHC :

inner hair cell;

OHC :

outer hair cell

RR :

Rhinolophus rouxi

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Author notes

  1. R. Rübsamen & M. Schäfer

    Present address: Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Zoologie und Neurobiologie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, ND6, Postfach 10 21 48, W-4630, Bochum, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zoological Department of the University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

    R. Rübsamen & M. Schäfer

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  1. R. Rübsamen
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  2. M. Schäfer
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Rübsamen, R., Schäfer, M. Ontogenesis of auditory fovea representation in the inferior colliculus of the Sri Lankan rufous horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus rouxi . J Comp Physiol A 167, 757–769 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00189766

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