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Related Concept Videos

Auditory Pathway01:15

Auditory Pathway

Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...
Neuroplasticity01:01

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
The Cochlea01:13

The Cochlea

The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.
Hearing01:31

Hearing

When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
Anatomy of the Ear01:16

Anatomy of the Ear

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...
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location01:21

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Selective Tracing of Auditory Fibers in the Avian Embryonic Vestibulocochlear Nerve
11:27

Selective Tracing of Auditory Fibers in the Avian Embryonic Vestibulocochlear Nerve

Published on: March 18, 2013

Developmental plasticity in the human auditory brainstem.

Krista L Johnson1, Trent Nicol, Steven G Zecker

  • 1Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Communication Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA. kljohnson@northwestern.edu

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|April 11, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The human auditory brainstem shows plasticity for speech sounds in young children, unlike older children. This suggests early auditory experiences shape brainstem development for speech processing.

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Auditory Brainstem Response and Outer Hair Cell Whole-cell Patch Clamp Recording in Postnatal Rats
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Last Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Selective Tracing of Auditory Fibers in the Avian Embryonic Vestibulocochlear Nerve
11:27

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Published on: March 18, 2013

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Semi-Automated Analysis of Peak Amplitude and Latency for Auditory Brainstem Response Waveforms Using R

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Auditory Brainstem Response and Outer Hair Cell Whole-cell Patch Clamp Recording in Postnatal Rats
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Auditory Brainstem Response and Outer Hair Cell Whole-cell Patch Clamp Recording in Postnatal Rats

Published on: May 24, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Auditory Neuroscience

Background:

  • Human auditory brainstem development is considered complete by age 2, with plasticity limited to the cortex.
  • Animal models show experience-dependent plasticity in the mammalian auditory brainstem.
  • It remains unknown if human auditory brainstem exhibits similar plasticity, especially for speech-related sounds.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate developmental plasticity in the human auditory brainstem.
  • To determine if exposure to speech-relevant sounds alters brainstem response characteristics in children.
  • To compare brainstem responses to clicks versus speech syllables in different age groups.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) in children aged 3–12 years.
  • Utilized both click stimuli and speech syllables to evoke brainstem responses.
  • Analyzed neural response characteristics, including onset and synchrony, for both stimulus types.

Main Results:

  • A neural response discrepancy was observed in 3- to 4-year-old children but not in older children (5–12 years).
  • All children showed similar brainstem responses to click stimuli.
  • Younger children exhibited delayed and less synchronous brainstem responses to speech syllables compared to older children.

Conclusions:

  • The human auditory system demonstrates developmental plasticity for speech-related sounds, affecting both frequency and time domains.
  • These findings suggest experience-dependent plasticity in the auditory brainstem for speech sound processing.
  • The observed differences highlight the dynamic nature of auditory brainstem development in response to auditory experience.