The sensitive period for auditory localization in barn owls is limited by age, not by experience

Knudsen, Eric I.; Knudsen, PF

doi:10.1523/jneurosci.06-07-01918.1986

Cited by 38 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…It is possible that either there are other, more subtle, geometric changes occurring over this later period that we have not described, or it may be that the requirement for visual experience is based on different mechanisms, taking a longer period to finalize than those required to stabilize cues from head growth. Similar differences in the period of vulnerability to auditory and visual perturbation, by ear plugging or prismatic lenses respectively, have been observed in studies of the auditory space map in the barn owl optic tectum (Knudsen & Knudsen, 1986.…”

Section: B)supporting

confidence: 72%

Plasticity in the superior collicular auditory space map of adult guinea‐pigs

Dj¹,

Binns²,

Nj³

et al. 1994

Experimental Physiology

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In the guinea‐pig the development and maintenance of the superior collicular (SC) auditory space map requires both auditory and visual experience. This paper reports the results of experiments in which adult animals (of different ages) were dark‐reared for 4 weeks to define the extent of the period of susceptibility to visual deprivation of the SC auditory map. Dark‐rearing for 4 weeks from 100, 150 or 200 days after birth caused degradation of spatial tuning and topography of multi‐unit auditory responses in the SC. In contrast, animals reared in the dark from 250 days after birth showed spatially tuned auditory responses similar to those seen in normal animals. These data suggest that the SC auditory space map in the adult guinea‐pig remains susceptible to visual deprivation up to 200 days after birth.

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Section: B)supporting

confidence: 72%

Plasticity in the superior collicular auditory space map of adult guinea‐pigs

Dj¹,

Binns²,

Nj³

et al. 1994

Experimental Physiology

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show abstract

“…They have analyzed developmental changes in sound localization ability under various conditions of monaural occlusion or ear plugging, and have shown that these first 2 months constitute a sensitive period. The end of the sensitive period coincides with attainment of an adult sized head and facial ruff (Knudsen, 1984;Knudsen and Knudsen, 1986). Ear plugs cause the owl to experience changes in both interaural intensity and interaural phase.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of the time coding pathways in the auditory brainstem of the barn owl

Carr

Boudreau

1996

J. Comp. Neurol.

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The barn owl's head grows after hatching, causing interaural distances to more than double in the first 3 weeks posthatch. These changes expose the bird to a constantly increasing range of interaural time cues. We have used Golgi and ultrastructural techniques to analyze the development of the connections and cell types of the nucleus magnocellularis (NM) and the nucleus laminaris (NL) with reference to the growth of the head. The time coding circuit is formed but immature at the time of hatching. In the month posthatch, the auditory nerve projection to the NM matures, and appears adult-like by posthatch day (P)21. NM neurons show a late growth of permanent dendrites starting at P6. Over the first month, these dendrites change in length and number, depending upon rostrocaudal position, to establish the adult pattern in which high best frequency neurons have few or no dendrites. These changes are not complete by P21, when NM neurons still have more dendrites than in the adult owl. The neurons of NL have many short dendrites before hatching. Their number is greatly reduced by P6, and then does not change during later development. Like NM neurons, NL neurons and dendrites grow in the first month posthatch, and at P21, NL dendrites are longer than those in the adult owl. Thus, the auditory brainstem circuits grow in the first month after hatching, but are not yet mature at the time the head reaches its adult size.

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“…Comparison with adjustment to monaural occlusion Previous research has demonstrated that young barn owls adjust sound localization in response to chronic monaural occlusion (Knudsen et al, 1984a, b;Knudsen and Knudsen, 1986). Monaural occlusion creates sound-localization errors by changing the cue values that correspond with any given source location.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitive and critical periods for visual calibration of sound localization by barn owls

Knudsen

1990

J. Neurosci.

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This study describes developmental changes in the capacity of owls to adjust sound localization in response to chronic prismatic displacement of the visual field and to recover accurate sound localization following the restoration of normal vision. Matched, binocular displacing prisms were mounted over the eyes of 19 barn owls (Tyto alba) beginning at ages ranging from 10 to 272 d. In nearly all cases, the visual field was shifted 23 degrees to the right. Sound localization was assessed on the basis of head orientations to sound sources, measured in a darkened sound chamber with a search coil system. Chronic exposure to a displaced visual field caused the owls to alter sound localization in the direction of the visual field displacement, thereby inducing a sound-localization error. The size of the sound-localization error that resulted depended on the age of the animal when prism experience began. Maximal errors of about 20 degrees were induced only when prism experience began by 21 d of age. As prism experience began at later ages, the magnitude of induced errors decreased. A bird that wore prisms beginning at 102 d of age, altered sound localization by only 6 degrees. An adult owl, when exposed chronically to a displaced visual field, altered sound localization by about 3 degrees. We refer to the early period in life when displaced vision induces exceptionally large sound-localization errors (relative to those induced in the adult) as a sensitive period. The capacity to recover accurate sound localization following restoration of normal vision was tested in 7 owls that had been raised wearing prisms. Four owls that had prisms removed by 182 d of age recovered accurate localization rapidly (over a period of weeks), whereas 3 owls that were older when the prisms were removed did not recover accurate localization when tested for up to 7 months after prism removal. Adjustment of sound localization slowed greatly or ceased at about 200 days of age, referred to here as the critical period for visual calibration of sound localization. Three owls were subjected repetitively to displacement of the visual field. An owl that adjusted sound localization to the left of normal during the sensitive period retained the capacity to adjust again to the left, but not to the right of normal, later in the critical period. The converse was true for an owl that adjusted sound localization to the right of normal during the sensitive period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

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The sensitive period for auditory localization in barn owls is limited by age, not by experience

Cited by 38 publications

References 9 publications

Plasticity in the superior collicular auditory space map of adult guinea‐pigs

Plasticity in the superior collicular auditory space map of adult guinea‐pigs

Development of the time coding pathways in the auditory brainstem of the barn owl

Sensitive and critical periods for visual calibration of sound localization by barn owls

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