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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

11:27
Selective Tracing of Auditory Fibers in the Avian Embryonic Vestibulocochlear Nerve
Published on: March 18, 2013
The biological basis of audition
Gregg H Recanzone1, Mitchell L Sutter
1Center for Neuroscience and Section of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, University of California at Davis, California 95618, USA. ghrecanzone@ucdavis.edu
Annual Review of Psychology
|August 7, 2007
Summary
This review covers recent advances in understanding auditory processing, focusing on spatial and temporal mechanisms in the brain. It highlights functional imaging studies in humans and comparative research in animals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Recent surge in interest in the neural mechanisms of audition.
- Functional imaging studies in human subjects are increasingly important.
- Auditory processing involves complex spatial and temporal computations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent work on auditory spatial processing.
- To review recent work on auditory temporal processing.
- To integrate findings from human and animal studies.
Main Methods:
- Review of functional imaging studies in human subjects.
- Analysis of research on nonhuman primates.
- Examination of studies on birdsong and echolocating bats.
Main Results:
- The auditory cortex plays a key role in spatial auditory processing.
- Interactions between auditory and visual stimuli are significant (e.g., ventriloquism effect).
- Temporal processing involves integration, masking, and gap detection.
Conclusions:
- Auditory spatial and temporal processing rely on complex neural mechanisms.
- Comparative studies in animals provide valuable insights into auditory functions.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the neural basis of audition.
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Auditory sensation, commonly called hearing, involves the transformation of sonic waves into neural impulses facilitated by the structures of the auditory organ. The prominent, flesh-like structure on the side of the head, called the auricle, directs sound waves towards the auditory canal. The auricle is often mislabeled as the pinna, a term more aligned with mobile structures like a feline's external ear. The auditory canal penetrates the cranium via the external auditory meatus of the...

