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Related Experiment Videos

Human cortical auditory motion areas are not motion selective.

Kevin R Smith1, Kayoko Okada, Kourosh Saberi

  • 1Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92612, USA.

Neuroreport
|June 15, 2004
PubMed
Summary

The human brain may not have a specialized system for processing auditory motion. Researchers found that brain regions activated by moving sounds also respond to stationary sounds at varying locations.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Auditory Perception
  • Human Brain Imaging

Background:

  • The existence of a specialized mechanism for auditory motion processing in humans is debated.
  • Previous functional neuroimaging studies suggested specialized motion-selective cortical regions.
  • These studies often failed to control for sound-source location as a confounding factor.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether specific human cortical areas are specialized for auditory motion processing.
  • To differentiate between motion processing and spatial location processing in the auditory cortex.
  • To control for sound-source location variations when studying auditory motion perception.

Main Methods:

  • Functional neuroimaging (fMRI) was used to scan ten subjects.

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  • Subjects listened to auditory stimuli that were either moving or stationary but varied in spatial location.
  • Brain activity was contrasted between auditory motion stimuli, stationary stimuli, and rest (scanner noise).

    • Main Results:

    • Auditory motion stimuli, compared to rest, activated the superior temporal gyrus/planum temporale (bilaterally) and the right parietal lobe.
    • Stationary auditory stimuli presented at varying spatial locations activated these same regions to an equal extent.
    • These findings suggest that the identified regions respond to spatial location changes, not motion itself.

    Conclusions:

    • The study argues against the existence of specialized motion-processing areas in the human cortex for auditory stimuli.
    • Activated regions (STG/planum temporale, right parietal lobe) appear to process sound-source location rather than motion.
    • Further research is needed to understand the neural basis of auditory motion perception.