Editorial: Neuromodulatory Function in Auditory Processing

Beebe et al. focused on cholinergic input to the superior olive, a cluster of nuclei that processes several fundamental aspects of auditory input, and Noftz et al. documented cholinergic inputs to the inferior colliculus (IC) in unprecedented detail using viral vectors, tract tracing, and immunohistochemistry. Goel et al. illustrate the many ways that mGluRs control both presynaptic release at excitatory synapses and simultaneously modulate the excitability of the postsynaptic cells in the sound localization circuitry of both birds and mammals. [...]Knipper et al. propose a model by which trauma induced hyperexcitability along the auditory pathway influences BDNF signaling to disrupt the balance of excitation and inhibition.