Learning Related Plasticity in Mammalian Sound Localization Circuits

The project aims to understand the precise role of descending corticofugal projections from the auditory cortex to subcortical auditory centers in re-learning sound localization after monaural conductive hearing loss. It builds on a hypothesis that auditory corticofugal neurons and/or their subcortical targets are plasticity loci for establishing learned, conjunctive representations of sounds and their behavioral consequences. The methodology involves developing a new sound localization task for head-fixed mice, combined with longitudinal Ca2+ imaging and optogenetics to record and manipulate activity in corticofugal neurons and their subcortical targets.