Intrinsic, stimulus-driven and task-dependent connectivity in human auditory cortex

A hierarchical and modular organization is a central hypothesis in the current primate model of auditory cortex (AC) but lacks validation in humans. Here we investigated whether fMRI connectivity at rest and during active tasks is informative of the functional organization of human AC. Identical pitch-varying sounds were presented during a visual discrimination (i.e. no directed auditory attention), pitch discrimination, and two versions of pitch n-back memory tasks. Analysis based on fMRI connectivity at rest revealed a network structure consisting of six modules in supratemporal plane (STP), temporal lobe, and inferior parietal lobule (IPL) in both hemispheres. In line with the primate model, in which higher-order regions have more longer-range connections than primary regions, areas encircling the STP module showed the highest inter-modular connectivity. Multivariate pattern analysis indicated significant connectivity differences between the visual task and rest (driven by the presentation of sounds during the visual task), between auditory and visual tasks, and between pitch discrimination and pitch n-back tasks. Further analyses showed that these differences were particularly due to connectivity modulations between the STP and IPL modules. While the results are generally in line with the primate model, they highlight the important role of human IPL during the processing of both task-irrelevant and task-relevant auditory information. Importantly, the present study shows that fMRI connectivity at rest, during presentation of sounds, and during active listening provides novel information about the functional organization of human AC.