Engaging in a tone-detection task differentially modulates neural activity in the auditory cortex, amygdala, and striatum

The relationship between attention and sensory coding is an area of active investigation. Previous studies have revealed that an animal’s behavioral state can play a crucial role in shaping the characteristics of neural responses in the auditory cortex (AC). However, behavioral modulation of auditory response in brain areas outside the AC is not well studied. In this study, we used the same experimental paradigm to examine the effects of attention on neural activity in multiple brain regions including the primary auditory cortex (A1), posterior auditory field (PAF), amygdala (AMY), and striatum (STR). Single-unit spike activity was recorded while cats were actively performing a tone-detection task or passively listening to the same tones. We found that tone-evoked neural responses in A1 were not significantly affected by task-engagement; however, those in PAF and AMY were enhanced, and those in STR were suppressed. The enhanced effect was associated with an improvement of accuracy of tone detection, which was estimated from the spike activity. Additionally, the firing rates of A1 and PAF neurons decreased upon motor response (licking) during the detection task. Our results suggest that attention may have different effects on auditory responsive brain areas depending on their physiological functions.