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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.
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...
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.
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...
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.
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at the...

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Cerebellar Gray Matter Volume in Tinnitus.

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High-Resolution fMRI of Auditory Cortical Map Changes in Unilateral Hearing Loss and Tinnitus.

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Neuroanatomical Alterations in Tinnitus Assessed with Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

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Neural decoding of discriminative auditory object features depends on their socio-affective valence.

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Tinnitus- and Task-Related Differences in Resting-State Networks.

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Functional specialization of the male insula during taste perception.

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Membrane scaffolding in auditory hair cells - a molecular tightrope walk enables lateral wall stiffness and flexibility.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

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

Tonotopic mapping of human auditory cortex.

Melissa Saenz1, Dave R M Langers

  • 1Laboratoire de Recherche en Neuroimagerie (LREN), CHUV, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital, Mont Paisible 16, Lausanne 1011, Switzerland; Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland.

Hearing Research
|August 7, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) now reliably maps the auditory cortex. Recent studies suggest human auditory cortex organization is homologous to non-human primates, with a V-shaped tonotopic gradient.

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Multiscale Investigations of Cortical Processing by Integrating Laminar Polytrodes and Optogenetics with Micro Electrocorticography in Rodents
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Multiscale Investigations of Cortical Processing by Integrating Laminar Polytrodes and Optogenetics with Micro Electrocorticography in Rodents

Published on: May 23, 2025

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example
08:45

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example

Published on: October 24, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 9, 2026

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

Multiscale Investigations of Cortical Processing by Integrating Laminar Polytrodes and Optogenetics with Micro Electrocorticography in Rodents
07:52

Multiscale Investigations of Cortical Processing by Integrating Laminar Polytrodes and Optogenetics with Micro Electrocorticography in Rodents

Published on: May 23, 2025

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example
08:45

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example

Published on: October 24, 2012

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Auditory Neuroscience
  • Human Brain Mapping

Background:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a key tool for mapping brain function.
  • Retinotopic mapping in the visual cortex is well-established.
  • Tonotopic mapping in the human auditory cortex has been historically challenging due to smaller field sizes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review stimulus procedures and analysis methods for tonotopic mapping in the human auditory cortex.
  • To discuss the current understanding and controversies in human auditory cortical organization.
  • To present a converging interpretation of tonotopic maps and their homology with non-human primates.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on tonotopic mapping techniques in human auditory cortex.
  • Analysis of various stimulus paradigms and data processing methods.
  • Comparison of human auditory cortical maps with those from non-human primates.

Main Results:

  • Recent advancements in fMRI spatial resolution have enabled reliable tonotopic mapping.
  • Studies show a consistent view of human tonotopic organization, though interpretations vary.
  • A V-shaped tonotopic gradient across Heschl's gyrus is emerging as a consensus interpretation for core fields A1 and R.

Conclusions:

  • Tonotopic mapping in the human auditory cortex is now a reliable technique.
  • The organization of human auditory cortex, particularly core fields A1 and R, appears homologous to that of non-human primates.
  • A V-shaped tonotopic gradient across Heschl's gyrus provides a consistent framework for understanding auditory cortical fields.