Summary
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1.
The activity and the response to auditory stimulation of the auditory nerve, of single receptor fibres and of thoracic auditory interneurons were recorded and analysed in resting and in tethered flying locusts (Locusta migratoria). During the behavior in the auditory system (I) flight induced activity and (II) modulations of the auditory response to sound pulses occurred. It was analysed whether flight-induced activity and the modulations of the auditory response were due to influences affecting the auditory receptors and/or interneurons.
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2.
Flight evoked tonic and phasic activity in the tympanal nerve and in single auditory receptors. Receptor activity was caused by thoracic movements stimulating the auditory organ and additionally by flight noise (Figs. 1–3).
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3.
Auditory interneurons also received excitatory input during flight. The activity of the interneurons was either markedly reduced or totally eliminated when the auditory organ was destroyed. Thus flight activity in auditory interneurons was largely or entirely caused by the auditory receptors (Fig. 4). No evidence was found for the flight pattern generator having a discrete effect on auditory interneurons.
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4.
The summed nerve response to auditory stimuli (10 ms, 70 dB SPL white noise) was reduced to 19% during flight. This corresponded to a decrease in sensitivity of 20 dB. Appropriate reductions of the auditory response also occurred in single receptor fibres (Figs. 1, 3).
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5.
The response of interneurons to sound pulses was reduced during flight to 26–35% of the response at rest (Figs. 5, 6). If the auditory organ was destroyed and the auditory nerve was stimulated electrically, no reduction of the electrically evoked response occurred (Fig. 7). Thus the auditory response reduction during flight must be due to influences affecting the auditory organ.
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6.
In one auditory interneuron flight enhanced the response to auditory stimulation and to electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve due to an additional sensory excitation of the neuron (Figs. 5–7).
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Abbreviations
- AP/s :
-
action potential(s) per second
- AP/Stim :
-
action potential(s) per stimulus
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Hedwig, B. Modulation of auditory information processing in tethered flying locusts. J. Comp. Physiol. 164, 409–422 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612999
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612999