The auditory response properties of single-on and double-on responders in the inferior colliculus of the leaf-nosed bat, Hipposideros armiger

The present study examines the response properties of neurons in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (IC) of the CF–FM (constant frequency–frequency-modulated) bat, Hipposideros armiger using CF, FM and CF–FM sounds as stimuli. All 169 IC neurons recorded are tonotopically organized along the dorsoventral axis of the IC. Collicular neurons have V-shaped or upper-threshold frequency tuning curves. Those neurons tuned at the predominant second harmonic have extremely sharp frequency tuning curves and low minimum thresholds. Collicular neurons typically discharge impulses to both CF and FM sounds. However, when stimulated with CF–FM sounds, most (76%) neurons only discharge impulses to the onset of CF–FM sounds (single-on responders). The remaining neurons (24%) discharge impulses to both CF and FM components (double-on responders) of CF–FM sounds. The double-on responders have higher minimum threshold and longer latency to the FM component than to the CF component of CF–FM sounds. Our data show that the FM component of the CF–FM sounds contributes significantly in shaping the discharge pattern, latency and number of impulses of IC neurons. The present study suggests that using CF–FM sounds to study auditory response properties of the CF–FM bat may be essential for a better understanding of echo analysis by the CF–FM in the real world. Because the double-on responders have shorter response latency than single-on responders, we speculate that these two types of responders may be best suited for echo analysis during different phases of hunting.