Methods for estimating structure of trace reactions of neurons in medial geniculate body.

The trace reactions of neurons in the medial geniculate body during the action of various auditory signals were investigated in anesthetized cats. Using the traditional peristimulus histogram (PSTH) method to analyze the impulse activity, trace reactions were found in some neurons that possessed a definite time structure with a varying degree of periodicity. Prolonged, diffuse changes in the level of activity were demonstrated in another group of neurons. The trace reactions of the second group of neurons were evaluated by averaging for a multitude of responses the individual PSTHs obtained for each response using the procedure of eliminating time shifts. Elimination in this way of the physiological variation in the time of reaction onset made it possible to establish the presence of a time structure in the trace reactions of a number of neurons in the second group.