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Auditory cortex on the human posterior superior temporal gyrus.
M A Howard1, I O Volkov, R Mirsky
1Department of Surgery (Division of Neurosurgery), University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA. mhoward@surgery.uiowa.edu
The Journal of Comparative Neurology
|December 1, 1999
Summary
Researchers identified a distinct auditory area in the human brain, the posterior lateral superior temporal area (PLST), separate from Heschl's gyrus (HG). This PLST area receives input from HG, contributing to our understanding of auditory processing in the superior temporal cortex.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Human Brain Mapping
Background:
- The human superior temporal cortex is vital for auditory processing, speech, and language.
- Its precise functional organization, particularly concerning distinct auditory areas, remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional organization of auditory areas within the human superior temporal cortex.
- To differentiate the roles and connectivity of Heschl's gyrus (HG) and the posterior lateral superior temporal area (PLST).
Main Methods:
- Chronic recording of evoked potentials (EPs) using penetrating and surface electrodes in awake human subjects.
- Stimulation involved auditory click trains delivered binaurally.
- Recordings were taken from Heschl's gyrus (HG) and the lateral superior temporal gyrus (STG), including the posterior lateral superior temporal area (PLST).
Main Results:
- Auditory EPs were localized to a specific region on the posterior lateral STG, designated as PLST.
- EPs from HG and PLST showed differential sensitivity to anesthesia and stimulus presentation rate.
- Electrical stimulation of HG elicited short-latency EPs in the PLST region, suggesting corticocortical input.
Conclusions:
- The posterior lateral superior temporal area (PLST) represents a functionally distinct auditory area, separate from HG.
- PLST receives input from HG, highlighting interconnectedness within the superior temporal cortex's auditory network.
- These findings support the existence of multiple, interconnected auditory areas in the superior temporal cortex.