Multiple brain systems generating the rat auditory evoked potential. I. Characterization of the auditory cortex response.

The objectives of this study were to characterize the auditory cortex response in the rat and to examine its contributions to the auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) recorded from the dorsal and lateral skull. This was accomplished by simultaneously recording AEPs from the cortical surface and from skull screw electrodes in anesthetized animals. The initial positive-negative response (P17-N32) was largely restricted to the cortical region corresponding to area 41. More detailed examination of the AEP mapping revealed multiple subcomponents (P9, P14, P17, P19) underlying the initial positivity, with differing topographies. Stimulus-response properties further dissociated the multiple positive subcomponents. Reversible local neurochemical suppression confirmed the auditory cortical origin of these AEPs. The auditory cortex-generated AEPs were refractory to barbiturate anesthesia which eliminated all dorsal skull AEPs, indicating that primary auditory cortical AEPs do not make a significant contribution to the dorsal skull-recorded ('vertex') AEPs. The findings raise issues regarding multiple parallel auditory processing systems and their associated AEPs.