Representations of spatial saliency in auditory cortex are selectively organized through temporal coordination

Abstract

Selective processing of behaviorally relevant sounds in complex environments requires dynamic modulation of auditory representations. Here, we show that behaviorally relevant sound locations selectively organize auditory cortical activity through temporal coordination rather than changes in firing rate. Using laminar electrophysiology in mice, we recorded activity in primary auditory cortex (A1) activity during a task in which reward was associated with a specific sound location while neutral, non-rewarded sounds were presented across multiple spatial positions. Neurons exhibited increased response reliability, temporal precision, and spike-field coupling to gamma oscillations selectively for sounds presented from behaviorally relevant locations, even when those sounds were unrewarded. These effects were absent during passive listening. Neurons with stronger gamma coupling also had sharper spatial tuning and greater trial-to-trial reliability, linking temporal coordination to representational fidelity. These findings identify gamma-mediated synchronization as a mechanism through which spatial relevance dynamically reshapes auditory encoding.