Integration of locomotion and auditory signals in the mouse inferior colliculus

Abstract

The inferior colliculus (IC) is the major midbrain auditory integration center, where virtually all ascending auditory inputs converge. Although the IC has been extensively studied for sound processing, little is known about the neural activity of the IC in moving subjects, as frequently happens in natural hearing conditions. Here we show, by recording the IC neural activity in walking mice, the activity of IC neurons is strongly modulated by locomotion in the absence of sound stimulus presentation. Similar modulation was also found in deafened mice, demonstrating that IC neurons receive non-auditory, locomotion-related neural signals. Sound-evoked activity was attenuated during locomotion, and the attenuation increased frequency selectivity across the population, while maintaining preferred frequencies. Our results suggest that during behavior, integrating movement-related and auditory information is an essential aspect of sound processing in the IC.