The Cochlear Nucleus: Neuronal Types and Their Synaptic Organization

The auditory system, like other sensory systems, comprises multiple neuronal pathways, each conveying information from the periphery to the forebrain via distinct sets of neurons and each with its own role to play in the function of the system. In the cochlear nuclear complex, the part of the brain that receives inputs from the cochlea via the eighth nerve, the neurons that participate in the separate pathways are, to a large extent, distinguishable from one another morphologically and many are also segregated spatially, making them especially accessible for detailed study. The results of detailed anatomical studies of the different cell types provide a framework for relating and interpreting the results of studies of the physiology, connectivity and transmitter neurochemistry of the different pathways.