Johns Hopkins University, Department of Neuroscience

David Ryugo

 

The inescapable relationship between form and function in biological systems has focused attention on the giant synaptic endings in the central auditory system. One of these endings is the endbulb of Held. The endbulb arises from auditory nerve fibers and has been found in every vertebrate examined. Its highly conserved nature implies major significance in the processing of acoustic information. The size of the ending underscores the powerful synaptic drive on the postsynaptic cell. The faithful transmission of presynaptic activity to the postsynaptic cell guarantees that neural activity in the brain is tightly coupled in time to acoustic events in the environment. The precision of the timing forms the substrate for sound localization as well as for translating prosodic utterances into perceptible speech.

© 2005 Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine