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Related Concept Videos

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...
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...
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...
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...
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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve
10:53

Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve

Published on: October 8, 2014

A neural link between feeling and hearing.

Tony Ro1, Timothy M Ellmore, Michael S Beauchamp

  • 1Department of Psychology and Program in Cognitive Neuroscience, The City College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA. tro@ccny.cuny.edu

Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|June 14, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Neural pathways connect hearing and touch brain regions. In a synesthesia patient, these connections were exaggerated, explaining how sounds can cause physical sensations.

Keywords:
brainmultisensorysoundsynesthesiatouch

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Published on: February 10, 2011

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Auditory and Somatosensory Systems
  • Human Cerebral Cortex

Background:

  • Both hearing and touch involve converting physical stimuli into neural signals.
  • This suggests a potential intimate relationship between the auditory and somatosensory systems.
  • Understanding these cross-modal interactions is crucial for explaining complex sensory experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the anatomical links between auditory and somatosensory neural substrates.
  • To explore the neural basis of auditory-tactile synesthesia.
  • To provide evidence for cross-modal connections in the human brain.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) with deterministic and probabilistic tractography.
  • Measured white matter connectivity between auditory and somatosensory cortical regions.
  • Examined a patient (SR) with acquired auditory-tactile synesthesia.

Main Results:

  • Identified extensive ipsilateral white matter connections between the primary auditory cortex and primary/secondary somatosensory regions.
  • Observed exaggerated cross-modal connections between auditory and secondary somatosensory cortex in the lesioned hemisphere of patient SR.
  • Patient SR experiences tactile sensations triggered solely by sounds.

Conclusions:

  • Established an anatomical basis for multisensory interactions between audition and somatosensation.
  • Suggests that neural 'cross-talk' between these regions may underlie auditory-tactile synesthesia.
  • Explains phenomena where certain sounds evoke tactile sensations, particularly in synesthesia patients.