Moore J K
Department of Neuroanatomy, House Ear Institute, Los Angeles, California 90057, USA.
Microsc Res Tech. 2000 Nov 15;51(4):403-12. doi: 10.1002/1097-0029(20001115)51:4<403::AID-JEMT8>3.0.CO;2-Q.
The distinctive morphology of the human superior olivary complex reflects its primate origins, but functional evidence suggests that it plays a role in auditory spatial mapping which is similar to olivary function in other mammalian species. It seems likely that the well-developed human medial olivary nucleus is the basis for extraction of interaural time and phase differences. The much smaller human lateral olivary nucleus probably functions in analysis of interaural differences in frequency and intensity, but the absence of a human nucleus of the trapezoid body implies some difference in the mechanisms of this function. A window on human olivary function is provided by the evoked auditory brainstem response (ABR), including its binaural interaction component (BIC). Anatomical, electrophysiological, and histopathological studies suggest that ABR waves IV and V are generated by axonal pathways at the level of the superior olivary complex. Periolivary cell groups are prominent in the human olivary complex. The cell groups located medial, lateral, and dorsal are similar to periolivary nuclei of other mammals, but the periolivary nucleus at the rostral pole of the human olivary complex is very large by mammalian standards. Within the periolivary system, immunostaining for neurotransmitter-related substances allows us to identify populations of medial and lateral olivocochlear neurons. The human olivocochlear system is unique among mammals in the relatively small size of its lateral efferent component. Some consideration is given to the idea that the integration provided by periolivary cell groups, particularly modulation of the periphery by the olivocochlear system, is an extension of the spatial mapping function of the main olivary nuclei.
人类上橄榄复合体独特的形态反映了其灵长类动物的起源，但功能证据表明，它在听觉空间映射中发挥的作用与其他哺乳动物物种的橄榄功能相似。发育良好的人类内侧橄榄核似乎是提取双耳时间和相位差异的基础。人类外侧橄榄核要小得多，可能在分析双耳频率和强度差异中发挥作用，但人类梯形核的缺失意味着该功能机制存在一些差异。诱发听觉脑干反应（ABR），包括其双耳相互作用成分（BIC），为研究人类橄榄功能提供了一个窗口。解剖学、电生理学和组织病理学研究表明，ABR波IV和V是由上橄榄复合体水平的轴突通路产生的。橄榄周细胞群在人类橄榄复合体中很突出。位于内侧、外侧和背侧的细胞群与其他哺乳动物的橄榄周核相似，但按照哺乳动物的标准，人类橄榄复合体嘴端极的橄榄周核非常大。在橄榄周系统内，对神经递质相关物质进行免疫染色可使我们识别内侧和外侧橄榄耳蜗神经元群体。人类橄榄耳蜗系统在哺乳动物中独一无二，其外侧传出成分相对较小。有人认为，橄榄周细胞群提供的整合作用，特别是橄榄耳蜗系统对周围的调节作用，是主要橄榄核空间映射功能的延伸。
