Superior olivary complex and lateral lemniscal connections of the auditory midbrain

Abstract

The inferior colliculus (IC) receives the majority of its ascending auditory inputs from the superior olivary complex (SOC) and the nuclei of the lateral lemniscus (NLL). These nuclei receive their inputs from the cochlear nucleus (CN), which also projects directly to the IC (see Chapter 3). Thus, there are parallel ascending pathways from the CN to the IC. These pathways analyze different aspects of acoustic information and send that information to the IC, where it is combined in ways that remain largely mysterious. Indeed, some of the most pressing questions in auditory research concern the functions of these parallel pathways and the nature of their convergence in the IC.