Reformation of Organized Connections in the Auditory System After Generation of the Eighth Nerve

Abstract

Binaural cells in the superior olive normally have identical frequency sensitiveness when acoustically stimulated via either ear. The precision with which central connections are reformed after auditory nerve regeneration can be determined by comparing the frequency sensitiveness of the two binaural inputs to these cells. Three months after cutting the nerve and subsequent regeneration in the leopard frog, binaural cells once again have well-matched frequency sensitivities. Thus, the specificity of central connectivity that characterizes the auditory system in normal animals is restored after regeneration.