Jeffery Winer

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Research Interests

Neuroanatomy stands in a similar relation to the neurosciences as mathematics does to physics. Neuroanatomy can specify the substrates that underlie normal and pathological function as well as neural plasticity. Without a neuroanatomical framework, physiological hypotheses are less robust than they might be. We wish to understand brain function using the auditory system as a model. We are now deriving the structural principles that underlie tonotopic and binaural processing in the auditory midbrain, thalamus, and cerebral cortex. Connectional tracers (cholera toxin beta-fragment, biotinylated dextran amines, and fluorescent compounds), and transmitter-specific labeling methods (immunocytochemistry and anterograde transport) label functional brain circuits.Collaborative physiological—anatomical experiments with Dr. Christoph Schreiner at UCSF then address functional questions about cortical modular and laminar organization. This enables us to pursue functionally driven hypotheses about the organization of the auditory system. The ensuing findings have significance for understanding larger principles of brain function such as topography, evolution, and plasticity.

Current Projects

We have identified the neurons projecting in the thalamocortical, corticocortical, and commissural auditory pathways. This allows us to dissect how each input affects the performance of cortical and subcortical centers essential for hearing. A second goal is to study the evolutionary patterns of neuronal organization in rats, bats, owls, cats, and monkeys; this approach reveals species differences that have functional significance, such as an unexpectedly wide range (1-25%) in the ratio of thalamic inhibitory neurons. Such adaptations could reflect structural specializations for the evolution of hearing and language.

Transmitter-specific immunocytochemical methods identify the projection neurons and their transmitters in the midbrain, thalamus, and cerebral cortex. This reveals successive links in a chemically specific chain of neuronal information processing. These circuits play key roles in hearing, in audiogenic seizures, and in integrating auditory behavior with limbic and motor pathways. We are now pursuing similar strategies in the tectothalamic, thalamocortical, commissural, and corticofugal subdivisions of the auditory pathway.

We use the central auditory pathway as a model system to address significant neurobiological questions about neural circuitry in a functional context. Studies now in progress include intracellular injection of neurons in tissue slices and collaborative anatomical—physiological studies. The comparative, structural, and functional accessibility of the central auditory pathway make it a powerful system in which to pursue functional questions in the context of systems neuroscience.

Selected Publications

Focal projections of cat auditory cortex to the pontine nuclei. [M. Perales, J.A. Winer, and J.J. Prieto (2006) Journal of Comparative Neurology, 497, 959-980]

Decoding the auditory corticofugal systems. [J.A. Winer (2006) Hearing Research, 212, 1-8]

Auditory thalamocortical transformation: Structure and function. [J.A. Winer, L.M. Miller, C.C. Lee, and C.E. Schreiner (2005) Trends in Neurosciences, 28, 255-263]

Principles governing auditory forebrain connectivity. [C.C. Lee and J.A. Winer (2005) Cerebral Cortex, 15, 1804-1814].

The inferior colliculus: past, present, and future. [J.H. Casseday, C.E. Schreiner, and J.A. Winer (2005) In: The Inferior Colliculus. Ed. J.A. Winer and C.E. Schreiner, Springer-Verlag, pp. 626-640]

Three systems of descending projections to the inferior colliculus. [J.A. Winer (2005) In: The Inferior Colliculus. Ed. J.A. Winer and C.E. Schreiner, Springer-Verlag, pp. 231-247]

The central auditory system: a functional analysis. [J.A., Winer and C.E. Schreiner. In: The Inferior Colliculus. Ed. J.A. Winer and C.E. Schreiner (2005) Springer-Verlag, pp. 1-68]

The Inferior Colliculus. [Ed. J.A. Winer, and C.E. Schreiner (2005) Springer-Verlag, pp. 1-705]

Challenges to a neuroanatomical theory of forebrain auditory plasticity. [J.A., Winer, C.C. Lee, K. Imaizumi, and C.E. Schreiner (2004) In: Plasticity of the Central Auditory System. Ed. J. Syka and M.M. Merzenich. Springer-Verlag, pp. 109-127]

Concurrent tonotopic processing streams in auditory cortex [C.C. Lee, K. Imaizumi, C.E. Schreiner, and J.A. Winer (2004) Cerebral Cortex, 14, 441-451]

Tonotopic and heterotopic projection systems in physiologically defined auditory cortex. [C.C. Lee, C.E. Schreiner, K. Imaizumi, and J.A. Winer (2004) Neuroscience, 128, 871-887]

A multimodal zone in rat parieto-temporal cortex: Intra- and extracellular physiology and thalamocortical connections. [B. Brett-Green, E. Fifková, D.T. Larue, J.A. Winer, and D.S. Barth (2003) Journal of Comparative Neurology, 460, 223-237]

Functional architecture of primary auditory cortex. [H.L. Read, J.A. Winer, and C.E. Schreiner (2002) Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 12, 433-440]

Descending projections from the posterior thalamus and auditory cortex to the inferior colliculus in rat, cat, and monkey. [J.A. Winer, M.L. Chernock, D.T. Larue, and S.W. Cheung (2002) Hearing Research, 168, 181-194]

Modular organization of intrinsic connections associated with spectral tuning in cat auditory cortex. [H. L Read, J. A. Winer, and C. E. Schreiner (2001) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 98, 8042-8047]

Layer V in cat primary auditory cortex (AI): Cellular architecture and identification of projection neurons. [J. A. Winer and J. J. Prieto (2001) Journal of Comparative Neurology, 434, 379-412]

Projections of auditory cortex to the medial geniculate body of the cat. [J. A Winer, J. J Diehl, and D. T Larue (2001) Journal of Comparative Neurology 430, 27-55]

The functional architecture of the medial geniculate body and the primary auditory cortex. [J.A. Winer (1992) In: The Mammalian Auditory Pathway: Neuroanatomy, Vol. 1, Springer Handbook of Auditory Research. Ed. A.N. Popper, R.R. Fay, and D.B. Webster. Springer-Verlag, pp. 222-409]

Last Updated 2006-08-19