Data from: Microprism-based two-photon imaging of the mouse inferior colliculus reveals novel organizational principles of the auditory midbrain

To navigate real-world listening conditions, the auditory system relies on
the integration of multiple sources of information. However, to avoid
inappropriate cross-talk between inputs, highly connected neural systems
need to strike a balance between integration and segregation. Here, we
develop a novel approach to examine how repeated neurochemical modules in
the mouse inferior colliculus lateral cortex (LC) allow controlled
integration of its multimodal inputs. The LC had been impossible to study
via imaging because it is buried in a sulcus. Therefore, we coupled
two-photon microscopy with the use of a microprism to reveal the
first-ever sagittal views of the LC to examine neuronal responses with
respect to its neurochemical motifs under anesthetized and awake
conditions. This approach revealed marked differences in the acoustic
response properties of LC and neighboring nonlemniscal portions of the
inferior colliculus. In addition, we observed that the module and matrix
cellular motifs of the LC displayed distinct somatosensory and auditory
responses. Specifically, neurons in modules demonstrated primarily offset
responses to acoustic stimuli with enhancement in responses to bimodal
stimuli, whereas matrix neurons showed onset responses to acoustic stimuli
and suppressed responses to bimodal stimulation. Thus, this new approach
revealed that the repeated structural motifs of the LC permit functional
integration of multimodal inputs while retaining distinct response
properties.