Neural Mechanisms of Hearing:
Echolocation and Communication by Bats

Jeff Wenstrup, Ph.D.  Professor Department of Neurobiology

Northeastern Ohio Universities
College of Medicine
4209 St. Rt. 44, P.O. Box 95
Rootstown, Ohio 44272-0095
Phone: (330) 325-6630
Fax: (330) 325-5916
Email: jjw@neoucom.edu
Community of Science Expertise
Auditory Neuroscience Research Focus Group
Hearing and Communication Laboratory
Department of Neurobiology

Education:

Professional Experience:

Research Interests:

Wenstrup's research interests are in the neural mechanisms underlying hearing and acoustically guided behavior. A major focus is on the auditory systems of bats because they display highly developed features related to their use of echolocation (biological sonar). Bats also have well-developed acoustic communication abilities. Our research examines similarities in the brain mechanisms used to analyze sonar echoes and social vocalizations, and may lead to insights concerning how humans perceive speech.

A second focus of our research examines how emotional centers of the brain modulate auditory processing of complex sounds. In particulular, we are studying how projections of the amygdala to the inferior colliculus modulate the complex processing that occurs. This pathway may alter the sensitivity of auditory midbrain neurons to different types of vocalizations.

For both lines of research, we use a variety of approaches, including physiology (extracellular single and multi-unit recording, multi-channel recording, single unit recording with inactivation of distant auditory structures), anatomy (tract-tracing, immunocytochemistry, and in situ hybridization), and pharmacology (single unit recording with local application of drugs).

Selected Publications:

• Leroy, S.A. and Wenstrup, J.J. (2000) Spectral integration in the inferior colliculus of the mustached bat. Journal of Neuroscience 20:8533-8541. 

• Wenstrup, J.J. and Leroy, S.A. (2001) Spectral integration in the inferior colliculus: role of glycinergic inhibition in response facilitation. Journal of Neuroscience 21:RC124 (1-6).

• Marsh, R.A., Fuzessery, Z.M., Grose, C.D., and Wenstrup, J.J. (2002). Projection to the inferior colliculus from the basal nucleus of the amygdala. Journal of Neuroscience 22:10449-10460.

• Fuzessery, Z.M., Wenstrup, J.J ., Hall., J.C., and Leroy, S. (2003) The role of inhibition in shaping response latency in the inferior colliculus. Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology 4:60-73.

• Portfors, C.V. and Wenstrup, J.J. (2003) Neural processing of target distance: transformation of combination-sensitive responses. In: Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins, J. Thomas, C. Moss, and M. Vater, eds. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp. 141-146.

• Wenstrup, J.J., Leroy, S.A, Portfors, C., and Grose, C.D. (2003) Neural mechanisms underlying the analysis of target distance. In: Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins, J. Thomas, C. Moss, and M. Vater, eds. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp. 146-153.

• Nataraj, K. and Wenstrup J.J. (2005) Roles of inhibition in creating complex auditory responses in the inferior colliculus: facilitated combination-sensitive neurons. Journal of Neurophysiology 93:3294-3312.

• Wenstrup, J.J. . (2005) The Tectothalamic System. In: The Inferior Colliculus, J. A. Winer and C.E. Schreiner, eds. Springer Verlag, New York , pp. 200-230.

• Sherwood, C.C., Raghantil, M.A., and Wenstrup, J.J. (2005) Is humanlike lateralization of cytoarchitecture present in another species with complex social vocalization? A stereologic analysis of mustached bat auditory and visual cortex. Brain Research 1045: 164-174.

• Marsh, R.A., Nataraj, K., Gans, D., Portfors, C.V., and Wenstrup, J.J. (2006) Auditory responses in the cochlear nucleus of awake mustached bats: precursors to complex properties in the auditory midbrain. Journal of Neurophysiology 95:88-105.

• Nataraj, K. and Wenstrup J.J. (2006) Roles of inhibition in complex auditory responses in the inferior colliculus: inhibitory combination-sensitive neurons. Journal of Neurophysiology 95:2179-2192.
  

• Sanchez, J., Gans, D., and Wenstrup, J.J. (2007) Contribution of NMDA and AMPA receptors in temporal patterning of auditory responses in the inferior colliculus. Journal of Neuroscience 27:1954-1963.