Plasticity of neural dynamics in the auditory cortex of rats

A rich repertoire of neural dynamics that evolves during development is thought to play a crucial role in information processing of complex time-series signals such as music (Ito et al., Sci Adv 2022). To quantify the repertoire of the auditory cortex dynamics, we sought to use information processing capacity (IPC), an emerging measure in a recent theory of reservoir computation that characterizes the linear and non-linear mapping of past input series within the system (Ishida et al., App Phys Lett 2023). Using a 10×10 grid microelectrode array, we showed that IPCs are experimentally measurable in rat auditory cortex from spatio-temporal activity in response to a random sequence of clicks. We then hypothesized that IPCs in the auditory cortex evolve in an activity dependent manner. Consistent with this hypothesis, we show that IPC in the auditory cortex develops better in an environment with sound than in a silent environment. We also discuss about whether and how IPC organization in rat auditory cortex is related to statistical properties of music. Our results suggest that a rich repertoire of intrinsic dynamics in the auditory cortex is indispensable from the origin of music.