Stimulus specific adaptation in the auditory system of insects: Can a single neuron learn?

Stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) is the suppression of a neuronu0027s activity to repetitive stimuli while maintaining responsiveness to infrequent signals. In Neoconocephalus katydids, one auditory interneuron (TN-1) shows strong SSA in oddball paradigms, when standard and oddball pulses differ in carrier frequency. SSA occurred for pulse rates from u003e140 Hz down to 1 Hz. At fast repetition rates (u003e100 Hz), responses to the common pulses ceased, while oddballs elicit single spikes. At slower rates ( 100 Hz). The mechanisms underlying SSA at slow pulse rates are less well understood; likely, dendritic Ca2 + -gated cu...