Cited by 54Bat Biology and Ecology StudiesTactile and Sensory InteractionsMultisensory perception and integration

Dynamic representation of 3D auditory space in the midbrain of the free-flying echolocating bat

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Kothari, Ninad B, Wohlgemuth, Melville J, Moss, Cynthia F·2018·eLife

Abstract

Essential to spatial orientation in the natural environment is a dynamic representation of direction and distance to objects. Despite the importance of 3D spatial localization to parse objects in the environment and to guide movement, most neurophysiological investigations of sensory mapping have been limited to studies of restrained subjects, tested with 2D, artificial stimuli. Here, we show for the first time that sensory neurons in the midbrain superior colliculus (SC) of the free-flying echolocating bat encode 3D egocentric space, and that the bat’s inspection of objects in the physical environment sharpens tuning of single neurons, and shifts peak responses to represent closer distances. These findings emerged from wireless neural recordings in free-flying bats, in combination with an echo model that computes the animal’s instantaneous stimulus space. Our research reveals dynamic 3D space coding in a freely moving mammal engaged in a real-world navigation task.

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  • Functional neuroimaging helps to study how the auditory cortex dynamically reshapes acoustic input into perceptual representations that guide decisions.

    “Functional neuroimaging helps to study how the auditory cortex dynamically reshapes acoustic input into perceptual representations that guide decisions (Gutschalk and Dykstra 2014; Kothari et al. 2018; Zatorre 2003).”

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Goddard CA Sridharan D Huguenard JR Knudsen EI 2012b Gamma oscillations are generated locally in an attention-related midbrain network Neuron 73 567 580 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.11.028 22325207 PMC3291715 · DOI
  2. Kothari NB Wohlgemuth MJ Moss CF 2018 Dynamic-3D-auditory-space-in-bats Github https://github.com/ninadbkothari/Dynamic-3D-auditory-space-in-bats. 98d38a4 PMC5896882 29633711

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Authors
Kothari, N. B., Wohlgemuth, M. J., & Moss, C. F.
Affiliations
Johns Hopkins University (US)
Corresponding author
Moss, Cynthia F
Venue
eLife
Published
2018-04-10
Volume
7
ISSN
2050-084X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2798266853
Cited by
54
References
118
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 8
FWCI
5.07
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • eLife (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (IOS1460149)
  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research (FA9550-14-1-039)
  • Office of Naval Research (N00014-12-1-0339, N00014-17-1-2736)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
Keywords
echolocation, superior colliculus, three-dimensional representation, distance coding, free-flying bats, object inspection, ECHO model, spatial navigation, wireless neural recording
MeSH terms
Orientation, Spatial, Animals, Auditory Cortex, Chiroptera, Echolocation, Flight, Animal, Male, Sensory Receptor Cells, Superior Colliculi, Vocalization, Animal

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