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Nell Beatty Cant

Associate Professor Emeritus of Neurobiology
Neurobiology
Box 3209, Durham, NC 27710
Bryan Research Building, 311 Research Drive Room 215, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


The long-term objective of Dr. Cant’s work is to understand the organization of the brainstem auditory pathways in terms of connections among the different neuronal types that form them. The goal of current research is to analyze the termination patterns of the axons of some specific cell types within the isofrequency contours of the inferior colliculus. There are four specific aims: 1) To characterize the organization of the bushy cell pathway from the cochlear nucleus to the superior olivary complex and from the superior olivary complex to the inferior colliculus; 2) To characterize the multipolar cell pathway from the ventral cochlear nucleus to the inferior colliculus; 3) To analyze the periolivary cell groups of the superior olivary complex in terms of specific cell types; and 4) To examine the organization of the isofrequency contours in the inferior colliculus in terms of the arborization patterns of lemniscal inputs from the bushy and multipolar cell pathways and from selected periolivary nuclei. The hypothesis is that although a number of lower brainstem auditory pathways converge on one isofrequency contour in the inferior colliculus, their terminal arborizations occupy different domains within that contour.

Methods used in Dr. Cant’s laboratory include: 1) Tracing techniques based on the anterograde and/or retrograde transport of biocytin, Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutin, and a number of different fluorescent dyes, and 2) A fixed slice preparation in which the dendriticarborization patterns of neurons that project to known sources can be examined.

Neuroanatomical studies provide essential information relevant to the mechanisms of auditory processing. The neuronal activity that leads to functional expression is dependent on the precise and specific connectivities among hundreds of specialized neuronal types. Detailed understanding of these connectivities will not only help to interpret available functional data, it will also provide a basis for developing rational hypotheses about auditory function that can be tested further.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor Emeritus of Neurobiology · 2015 - Present Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences · 2008 - Present Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers

Recent Publications


Axon trajectories in the auditory brainstem

Chapter · April 5, 2018 This chapter summarizes what is known about the organization of the axons that make up the white matter of the auditory brainstem. The sources of the axons in each of the major fiber bundles (the dorsal and intermediate acoustic striae, the ventral acousti ... Full text Cite

Patterns of convergence in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus of the Mongolian gerbil: organization of inputs from the superior olivary complex in the low frequency representation.

Journal Article Frontiers in neural circuits · December 1, 2013 Projections to the inferior colliculus (IC) from the lateral and medial superior olivary nuclei (LSO and MSO) were studied in the gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) with neuroanatomical tract-tracing methods. The terminal fields of projecting axons were labele ... Cite

Patterns of convergence in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus of the Mongolian gerbil: organization of inputs from the superior olivary complex in the low frequency representation.

Journal Article Front Neural Circuits · 2013 Projections to the inferior colliculus (IC) from the lateral and medial superior olivary nuclei (LSO and MSO) were studied in the gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) with neuroanatomical tract-tracing methods. The terminal fields of projecting axons were labele ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Agilent Direct Drive 9.4T MRS/MRI Console

EquipmentMinor User · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2012 - 2013

Neuroanatomy Of The Auditory System

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1978 - 2012

Central Auditory System Effects of Auditory Deprivation

ResearchConsultant · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2002 - 2007

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Michigan, Ann Arbor · 1973 Ph.D.
North Carolina State University · 1967 B.S.