ABSTRACT
The central auditory system has received increasing attention in the field of comparative neurobiology. One reason for this is that it presents the opportunity to correlate specific sensory and behavioral adaptations to structural features of the neurons and their connections. For example, owls and echolocating bats present obvious specializations that can be exploited in establishing structure/function relationships. Because a number of methods and approaches are being used in the field, it is often necessary to refer experimental findings to specific groups of neurons, because these are known to have different connections and to support different functions. Studies, based on distantly related species, can be more effectively compared when there is a common architectural plan that can be referenced.
