RESPONSE PROPERTIES OF AUDITORY INTERNEURONS IN THE BUSHCRICKET DERACANTHA ONOS (ORTHOPTERA,TETTIGONIIDAE)
硕螽(Deracantha onos)听觉中间神经元的声反应特征

The electrophysiological responses of single auditory interneurons to sound stimulation were characterized in the bushcricket Deracantha onos.In terms of characteristic pattern of spike discharge, auditory interneurons have been generally classified as tonic or phasic. According to frequency-threshold characteristics, tonic interneurons are narrowly tuned to a sound frequency of about 12 kHz, which corresponds to the dominant peak of power spectrum of conspecific stridulation songs. Phasic interneurons are broadly tuned between 5-14 kHz. For tonic interneurons, a positive relationship exists between sound intensity and spike response. For phasic interneurons, response latency decreased with increasing sound intensity up to about 60 dB above threshold. The functions of these interneurons in the processing of auditory information are discussed.