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Functional asymmetry in human primary auditory cortex: identified from longitudinal fMRI study.

Seung-Schik Yoo1, Heather M O'leary, Chandlee C Dickey

  • 1Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. yoo@bwh.harvard.edu

Neuroscience Letters
|June 7, 2005
PubMed
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This study found consistent leftward functional asymmetry in the primary auditory cortex (PAC) for both language and non-language sounds. This suggests a fundamental brain asymmetry underlies auditory processing, even for basic tones.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Auditory Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

  • Hemispheric dominance for language processing is well-established.
  • The role of the primary auditory cortex (PAC) in this asymmetry is less understood.
  • Functional asymmetry in the PAC may underpin broader language lateralization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate functional asymmetry in the human primary auditory cortex (PAC).
  • To determine if this asymmetry is present for both linguistic and non-linguistic auditory stimuli.
  • To explore the consistency of PAC asymmetry over time.

Main Methods:

  • Repeated functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans were performed on eight participants.
  • Binaural presentation of linguistic sounds (two-syllable nouns) and tonal stimulation was used.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Primary auditory cortex (PAC) activation volumes were measured to calculate functional laterality indices.

    • Main Results:

    • Predominant and consistent leftward functional asymmetry was observed in the PAC.
    • This leftward asymmetry was present during both linguistic and non-linguistic sound stimulation.
    • Activation volumes showed variability between subjects and sessions, but the overall asymmetry remained consistent.

    Conclusions:

    • The human primary auditory cortex (PAC) exhibits a consistent leftward functional asymmetry.
    • This asymmetry is present regardless of whether the auditory stimulus is linguistic or non-linguistic.
    • PAC functional asymmetry may be a fundamental neural basis for hemispheric dominance in auditory processing and language.