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Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example
Published on: October 24, 2012
Approaches to the cortical analysis of auditory objects
Timothy D Griffiths1, Sukhbinder Kumar, Jason D Warren
1Auditory Group, Medical School, Framlington Place, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. t.d.griffiths@ncl.ac.uk
Hearing Research
|February 27, 2007
Summary
The brain analyzes spectral envelope in sounds serially, from Heschl's gyrus (HG) to the planum temporale (PT) and superior temporal sulcus (STS). Lesions in this auditory network cause dystimbria, affecting timbre perception.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- The human brain processes complex auditory information, including the spectral envelope of sounds, which is crucial for identifying sound sources and their characteristics.
- Understanding the neural pathways involved in auditory object analysis is essential for comprehending perception and neurological disorders affecting sound processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cortical basis for auditory object analysis using synthetic sounds with manipulated spectral envelopes.
- To determine the effective connectivity and processing pathways (serial vs. parallel) within the human auditory network for spectral envelope analysis.
Main Methods:
- Functional imaging data analysis using conventional methods and dynamic causal modeling (DCM) with Bayesian model selection.
- Comparison of serial and parallel models of connectivity between Heschl's gyrus (HG), planum temporale (PT), and superior temporal sulcus (STS).
- Examination of neurological subjects with lesions in the auditory network to study the effects on auditory perception, specifically 'dystimbria'.
Main Results:
- Conventional analysis identified a network including bilateral PT and right STS for spectral envelope analysis.
- Dynamic causal modeling strongly supported a serial model of information processing, with effective connectivity modulated between HG and PT during spectral envelope variation.
- Subjects with lesions in this network exhibited dystimbria, characterized by abnormal spectral envelope perception despite normal pitch and loudness perception.
Conclusions:
- The auditory system processes spectral envelope information in a serial manner, primarily involving a pathway from HG to PT.
- Disruptions in this specific auditory processing network lead to altered perception of sound quality, termed dystimbria.
- This research elucidates the neural underpinnings of auditory object analysis and its clinical implications.
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