Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

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.
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...
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...
Auditory Perception01:17

Auditory Perception

The auditory system is essential for sound perception, utilizing various critical structures. When sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then transmitted to the middle ear, where three tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – amplify the sound. This amplification is crucial, as it ensures that the sound vibrations are strong enough to be conveyed to the inner ear. These vibrations then reach the cochlea, a...
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Multiparametric Classification of Pure-tone Responses Distinguishes Neurons in Inferior Colliculus Subdivisions.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Adaptive mechanisms facilitate robust performance in noise and in reverberation in an auditory categorization model.

Communications biology·2023
Same author

A Linear Superposition Model of Envelope and Frequency Following Responses May Help Identify Generators Based on Latency.

Neurobiology of language (Cambridge, Mass.)·2023
Same author

Quantitative models of auditory cortical processing.

Hearing research·2023
Same author

Pupillometry to Assess Auditory Sensation in Guinea Pigs.

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE·2023
Same author

Vocalization categorization behavior explained by a feature-based auditory categorization model.

eLife·2022

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Combined Shuttle-Box Training with Electrophysiological Cortex Recording and Stimulation as a Tool to Study Perception and Learning
08:43

Combined Shuttle-Box Training with Electrophysiological Cortex Recording and Stimulation as a Tool to Study Perception and Learning

Published on: October 22, 2015

Nonlinear spectrotemporal interactions underlying selectivity for complex sounds in auditory cortex.

Srivatsun Sadagopan1, Xiaoqin Wang

  • 1Laboratory of Auditory Neurophysiology, Departments of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|September 11, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Many auditory cortex neurons unresponsive to pure tones actually detect complex sounds. These neurons use nonlinear integration of simple sound inputs to achieve high selectivity for intricate acoustic features.

More Related Videos

Functional Imaging of Auditory Cortex in Adult Cats using High-field fMRI
10:50

Functional Imaging of Auditory Cortex in Adult Cats using High-field fMRI

Published on: February 19, 2014

Stereotactically-guided Ablation of the Rat Auditory Cortex, and Localization of the Lesion in the Brain
09:29

Stereotactically-guided Ablation of the Rat Auditory Cortex, and Localization of the Lesion in the Brain

Published on: October 11, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Combined Shuttle-Box Training with Electrophysiological Cortex Recording and Stimulation as a Tool to Study Perception and Learning
08:43

Combined Shuttle-Box Training with Electrophysiological Cortex Recording and Stimulation as a Tool to Study Perception and Learning

Published on: October 22, 2015

Functional Imaging of Auditory Cortex in Adult Cats using High-field fMRI
10:50

Functional Imaging of Auditory Cortex in Adult Cats using High-field fMRI

Published on: February 19, 2014

Stereotactically-guided Ablation of the Rat Auditory Cortex, and Localization of the Lesion in the Brain
09:29

Stereotactically-guided Ablation of the Rat Auditory Cortex, and Localization of the Lesion in the Brain

Published on: October 11, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Auditory Neuroscience
  • Computational Neuroscience

Background:

  • A significant population of neurons in the auditory cortex do not respond to pure tones.
  • These neurons have been historically misclassified as unresponsive or even non-auditory.
  • Understanding their function is crucial for a complete picture of auditory processing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the response properties of non-tone responsive neurons in the primary auditory cortex (A1).
  • To determine how selectivity for complex sound features arises from simpler inputs.
  • To explore the role of nonlinear integration in auditory cortical processing.

Main Methods:

  • Electrophysiological recordings from neurons in the primary auditory cortex (A1) of awake marmoset monkeys.
  • Stimulation with pure tones and complex sound features, including combinations of tone pips.
  • Derivation of nonlinear spectrotemporal response maps.

Main Results:

  • Many neurons classified as non-tone responsive exhibit high selectivity for complex sound features.
  • These neurons display nonlinear combination-sensitive responses to precise spectral and temporal combinations of two tone pips.
  • Nonlinear spectrotemporal maps correlate with complex acoustic feature selectivity.
  • Such neurons are prevalent at superficial cortical depths in A1.

Conclusions:

  • Nonlinear integration of tone-tuned inputs by A1 neurons underlies selectivity for complex sounds.
  • This mechanism explains the diverse response properties observed in auditory cortex neurons.
  • A framework based on tone-tuned input channels can unify descriptions of neural selectivity to complex sounds.