The dorsal cochlear nucleus is the first site of multisensory convergence in mammalian auditory pathways. Principal output neurons, the fusiform cells, integrate auditory nerve inputs from the cochlea with somatosensory inputs from the head and neck. In previous work, we developed a guinea pig model of tinnitus induced by noise exposure and showed that the fusiform cells in these animals exhibi...

Physiological, anatomical, and clinical data have demonstrated interactions between somatosensory and auditory brainstem structures. Spinal nerve projections influence auditory responses, although the nature of the pathway(s) is not known. To address this issue, we injected biotinylated dextran amine into the cochlear nucleus or dorsal root ganglion (DRG) at the second cervical segment (C2). Co...

The cochlear nuclei are the first central processors of auditory information and provide inputs to all the major brainstem and midbrain auditory nuclei. Although the local circuits within the cochlear nuclei are understood at a cellular level, the spatial patterns of connectivity and the connection strengths in these circuits have been less well characterized. We have applied a novel, quantitat...

AA amygdala, anterior nucleus AAF anterior auditory field ABm basomedial nucleus of the amygdala ACe central nucleus of the amygdala AD anterior part of the DCN AES anterior ectosylvian area aes anterior ectosylvian sulcus AI primary auditory cortex AlP anterolateral periolivary nucleus APt anterior pretectum AII second auditory cortex AM anterior medial nucleus AV anterior ventral thalamic nuc...

While many studies have been devoted to investigating the homeostatic plasticity triggered by cochlear hearing loss, the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in these central changes remain elusive. In the present study, we investigated the possibility of reactive neurogenesis after unilateral cochlear nerve section in the cochlear nucleus (CN) of cats. We found a strong cell proliferatio...

Principal cells of the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) receive a variety of inhibitory influences, including some that are associated with the anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN). Electrical stimulation in the caudal part of the AVCN produces long-lasting inhibition of DCN units [(1973) Exp. Brain Res. 17, 428-442], including unit type IV, which is associated with principal cells. This inhibiti...