Abstract

The encoding of acoustic stimuli requires precise neuron timing. Auditory neurons in the cochlear nucleus (CN) and brainstem are well-suited for accurate analysis of fast acoustic signals, given their physiological specializations of fast membrane time constants, fast axonal conduction, and reliable synaptic transmission. The medial olivocochlear (MOC) neurons that provide efferent inhibition of the cochlea reside in the ventral brainstem and participate in these fast neural circuits. However, their modulation of cochlear function occurs over time scales of a slower nature. This suggests the presence of mechanisms that restrict MOC inhibition of cochlear function. To determine how monaural excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs integrate to affect the timing of MOC neuron activity, we developed a novel in vitro slice preparation ( wedge-slice). The wedge-slice maintains the ascending auditory nerve root, the entire CN and projecting axons, while preserving the ability to perform visually guided patch-clamp electrophysiology recordings from genetically identified MOC neurons. The in vivo-like timing of the wedge-slice demonstrates that the inhibitory pathway accelerates relative to the excitatory pathway when the ascending circuit is intact, and the CN portion of the inhibitory circuit is precise enough to compensate for reduced precision in later synapses. When combined with machine learning PSC analysis and computational modeling, we demonstrate a larger suppression of MOC neuron activity when the inhibition occurs with in vivo-like timing. This delay of MOC activity may ensure that the MOC system is only engaged by sustained background sounds, preventing a maladaptive hyper-suppression of cochlear activity. Significance StatementAuditory brainstem neurons are specialized for speed and fidelity to encode rapid features of sound. Extremely fast inhibition contributes to precise brainstem sound encoding. This circuit also projects to medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent neurons that suppress cochlear function to enhance detection of signals in background sound. Using a novel brain slice preparation with intact ascending circuitry, we show that inhibition of MOC neurons can also be extremely fast, with the speed of the circuit localized to the cochlear nucleus. In contrast with the enhancement of precision afforded by fast inhibition in other brainstem auditory circuits, inhibition to MOC neurons instead has a variable onset that delays and desynchronizes activity, thus reducing precision for a slow, sustained response to background sounds.