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Tuned In To Communication Sounds: Neuronal Sensitivity In The Túngara Frog Midbrain To Frequency Modulated Signals, Abhilash Ponnath, Michael J. Ryan, Zhide Fang, Hamilton E. Farris

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

For complex communication signals, it is often difficult to identify the information-bearing elements and their parameters necessary to elicit functional behavior. Consequently, it may be difficult to design stimuli that test how neurons contribute to communicative processing. For túngara frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus), however, previous behavioral testing with numerous stimuli showed that a particular frequency modulated (FM) transition in the male call is required to elicit phonotaxis and vocal responses. Modeled on such behavioral experiments, we used awake in vivo recordings of single units in the midbrain to determine if their excitation was biased to behaviorally important FM parameters. Comparisons of …