Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The auditory cortex is the most highly organized processing unit of sound in the brain. This cortex area is the neural crux of hearing, and—in humans—language and music. The auditory cortex is divided into three separate parts: the primary, secondary, and tertiary auditory cortex.
The primary auditory cortex (A1) is located on the superior temporal gyrus in the temporal lobe and receives point-to-point input from the ventral division of the medial geniculate complex; thus, it contains a precise tonotopic map.
The primary auditory areas are regions of the cerebral cortex located bilaterally in the temporal lobes. The primary auditory area is housed within Heschl gyrus, a region that is positioned posteriorly in the superior temporal lobe within the supratemporal plane.
The auditory cortex primarily receives auditory information from a nucleus in the thalamus called the medial geniculate nucleus, which is where all incoming information about hearing is sent before it is processed by the cerebral cortex.
The auditory cortex relies on spiral ganglion neurons to protect the inner ear from loud sounds. Stimulation of the spiral ganglion neurons contracts their cell bodies, increasing basilar membrane tension and dampening hair cell excitation.
Auditory cortex is not a unitary brain area but is comprised of several structural (anatomical) areas that differ in their role in decoding sound.
Auditory Cortex. The auditory cortex (also called A1) is located within the temporal lobes in both hemispheres of the brain. Similar to the visual cortex, the auditory cortex is also made up of 6 layers of cells that have columnar organization. Each cortical column responds to a specific frequency.