# The significance of nominally non-responsive neural dynamics in auditory perception and behavior.

> **NIH NIH R00** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2022 · $248,673

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
 The auditory system is often challenged with the task of assigning behavioral meaning to sounds: the cry of
an infant immediately commands your attention, a fire alarm signals the need for a hasty departure, and the
familiar sound of your cell phone causes an early exit from a meeting. How does the brain accomplish this
seemingly effortless feat? A network of regions in the brain are implicated in the act of auditory perception, but
even regions thought to be primarily concerned with the representation of sounds have cells that seem
unmoved by the behaviorally-relevant acoustic inputs. These “nominally non-responsive cells” are highly
prevalent, underexplored, and may provide key insights into how the brain accomplishes auditory-related
learning and contextualizes audition. For example, there is emerging evidence that these cells are important
for generating flexible behaviors. Developing a systems-level understanding of these widely observed but
rarely analyzed neurons is essential for relating auditory-related behavior to neural activity in the auditory
pathway and may yield critical insights into rehabilitation strategies for cochlear-implant (CI) users as CI
stimulation can result in highly variable cortical activation.
 This proposal will investigate the role nominally non-responsive cells play in auditory perceptual behaviors
by recording and decoding from auditory cortex, an area downstream (an auditory domain of the frontal
cortex), and an area upstream (the medial geniculate nucleus of the auditory thalamus) during behavior. This
proposal leverages cutting-edge electrophysiological recordings in behaving rats, optogenetics, and a novel
single-trial decoding algorithm for evaluating cells with complex response profiles to address the following
aims: characterize the contribution of nominally non-responsive auditory cortical neurons to auditory behavior
(Aim 1); determine how auditory behavioral variables are represented and modulated along the auditory
pathway by nominally non-responsive neurons (Aim 2); and determine how the activity of nominally non-
responsive neurons dynamically reflects the behavioral meaning of sounds (Aim 3). The results from this work
will provide significant insight into how animals compute the behavioral significance of sounds. Clarifying the
specific role each auditory station plays in generating auditory-relevant behaviors will have implications for (1)
improved diagnosis and treatment of hearing deficits caused by disease or injury and (2) improved auditory
prosthetic devices that stimulate multiple brain regions to enhance auditory perception.
 An experienced team of mentors and collaborators will provide training critical for the candidate's short- and
long-term success, including: chronic recordings, optogenetics, LFP analysis and single-trial decoders. The
proposed training program combines hands-on training, mentorship, coursework, seminars, and professional
meetings. In the l...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10427262
- **Project number:** 5R00DC015543-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Michele Insanally
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $248,673
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-06-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10427262

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10427262, The significance of nominally non-responsive neural dynamics in auditory perception and behavior. (5R00DC015543-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10427262. Licensed CC0.

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