Properties of single neurons in the anterior auditory field (AAF) of cat cerebral cortex

In the cortex of 6 anesthetized cats, the anterior auditory field (AAF) was defined by microelectrode maps of its frequency organization, and the responses to monaural and binaural tonal stimuli of single neurons in that field were examined qunatitatively. AAF neurons were sharply tuned to tonal frequency, had intensity dynamic ranges of less than 30-40 dB at best frequency, and had minimum response latencies generally in the order of 10-15 ms. The binaural interactions of AAF neurons were qualitatively similar to those of AI cells, with the possible exception of a relatively greater proportion of AAF neurons receiving stronger excitatory input from the ipsilateral ear. On the basis of these data and recent anatomical evidence, the proposal that AAF and AI function as parallel processors of ascending acoustic information is discussed.