Specific distribution of non-phosphorylated neurofilaments characterizing each subfield in the mouse auditory cortex

•Each auditory subfield of mice connected to the contralateral counterparts.•We compared physiological and anatomical features of six auditory subfields.•Each auditory subfield has the specific immunostaining pattern for NNF.•Functionally-identified auditory subfields were morphologically supported. Recent imaging studies revealed the presence of functional subfields in the mouse auditory cortex. However, little is known regarding the morphological basis underlying the functional differentiation. Distribution of particular molecules is the key information that may be applicable for identifying auditory subfields in the post-mortem brain. Immunoreactive patterns using SMI-32 monoclonal antibody against non-phosphorylated neurofilament (NNF) have already been used to identify or parcellate various brain regions in various animals. In the present study, we investigated whether distribution of NNF is a reliable marker for identifying functional subfields in the mouse auditory cortex, and found that each auditory subfield has region-specific cellular and laminar patterns of immunoreactivity for NNF.