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Updated: Jun 22, 2026
07:14
A Method to Study Adaptation to Left-Right Reversed Audition
Published on: October 29, 2018
Hemispheric differences in auditory oddball responses during monaural versus binaural stimulation.
Casey S Gilmore1, Brett A Clementz, Patrick Berg
1Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Elliott Hall, 75 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. gilmo077@umn.edu
Summary
Later auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) show stronger right hemisphere activation, suggesting a right-hemisphere network supports attention and cognitive processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Hemispheric lateralization of early auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) like N1 is anatomically determined.
- Lateralization patterns for later auditory ERPs (P2/N2, P250, P3b) are less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hemispheric laterality of auditory ERPs, particularly later components.
- To compare auditory processing in binaural versus monaural conditions using high-density EEG.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a 257-channel electroencephalography (EEG) system.
- Employed an auditory oddball task with both binaural and monaural stimulation.
- Analyzed early (N1) and later (P2/N2, P250, P3b) auditory ERP components.
Main Results:
- N1 ERPs demonstrated contralateral bias, but right hemisphere activation occurred regardless of ear input.
- Later ERP components (P250, P3b) showed significantly greater right hemisphere activation, particularly in temporal-parietal and frontal areas.
- Source estimations indicated stronger involvement of anterior temporal and inferior frontal regions in the right hemisphere for cognitive tasks.
Conclusions:
- Findings support a right hemisphere network crucial for sustained attention, stimulus evaluation, target detection, and working memory.
- Later auditory ERPs are more influenced by cognitive factors and show a distinct right-hemisphere dominance.
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