Covariation of latency and temporal resolution in the inferior colliculus of the cat

Onset latency of single-unit and multiunit responses was measured in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) of barbiturate anesthetized cats. The relationship of the units' onset latency with their characteristic frequency (CF), their best modulation frequency (BMF), and their location within the ICC was studied. Latencies were significantly correlated to BMF; they were only weakly correlated to CF. The contribution of CF to the delays can be attributed to the traveling wave mechanism; covariation of latency and temporal resolution (BMF) likely manifests neuronal mechanisms underlying periodicity coding.