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Auditory neglect: what and where in auditory space.
Stephanie Clarke1, Anne Bellmann Thiran
1Division de Neuropsychologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland. Stephanie.Clarke@chuv.hospvd.ch
Summary
Auditory neglect, a deficit in processing sound location or identity, may stem from disruptions in the brain's "What" or "Where" processing streams. These distinct neural networks are crucial for understanding auditory information and spatial awareness.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Sound perception involves identifying sources and localizing them in space.
- Distinct cortical networks process auditory 'What' (identification) and 'Where' (localization) information.
- Attentional deficits, like hemispatial neglect, can impair auditory processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural basis of auditory neglect.
- To determine if auditory neglect results from disruptions in the 'What' or 'Where' processing streams.
- To differentiate between attentional deficits and spatial representation distortions in auditory neglect.
Main Methods:
- Review of anatomical and activation studies in humans and non-human primates.
- Analysis of clinical findings in patients with hemispheric lesions and auditory neglect.
- Comparison of sound detection and recognition deficits in relation to lesion location.
Main Results:
- Auditory processing is divided into 'What' and 'Where' streams.
- Auditory neglect can manifest as directional errors or contralesional extinction.
- Two types of auditory neglect are linked to basal ganglia (attentional) or parieto-prefrontal (spatial representation) lesions.
Conclusions:
- Auditory neglect subtypes correlate with damage to distinct processing streams.
- Attentional deficits in auditory neglect may involve the 'What' stream.
- Distortions in auditory space representation suggest involvement of the 'Where' stream.