Tonotopic organization of the human auditory cortex revealed by transient auditory evoked magnetic fields

The tonotopic organization of the human auditory cortex has been investigated by systematic measurements of magnetic fields evoked by tone-bursts with carrier frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz. The measured field distribution changes with both time elapsed since stimulus onset and frequency of the stimulus. Nevertheless, the field distribution has always the same overall features and can be approximated by that of an equivalent current dipole located in a semi-infinite volume. This model can be described in terms of 5 parameter values: 3 orthogonal coordinates specifying the dipole location, and amplitude and angle of the dipole moment. The amplitude of the dipole moment is maximal at about 100 msec ('component 100m') and 160 msec ('component 160m') after stimulus onset. The depth estimated for the generator site of the 100m component shows a logarithmic dependence on test frequency whereas no similar behaviour could be observed for the 160m component. Anatomical studies performed in cadaver heads suggest that the equivalent current dipoles of both the 100m and the 160m component are located in the transverse temporal gyri.