Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Auditory Pathway

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 Location

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...

Hearing

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.

The Cochlea

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 Perception

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...

Hierarchy of Motor Control

Hierarchy of Motor Control

The hierarchy of motor control refers to the different levels of organization and processing involved in controlling movement in the body. These levels range from higher cortical areas involved in planning and decision-making to lower spinal cord reflexes that respond automatically to external stimuli.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Dynamic limbic-executive decoupling underpins the reciprocal link between drug-resistant state and depression in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Epilepsia·2026

Same author

Photocatalytic Flow Synthesis of Acetone from Methane Carbonylation Using Customized Flow Patterns.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

The Salting-Out Effect Enables Highly Selective Electrochemical Ammoxidation of Aldehydes to Nitriles.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Managing electrolyte flow boosts the efficiency of continuous oxime electrosynthesis to over 95.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Photoinduced Lattice Oxygen Spillover on Ru/BaTiO<sub>3</sub> for Efficient and Stable Photothermal Dry Reforming of Methane.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2025

Same author

Metagenomics and metatranscriptomics insights into microbial enhancement of H<sub>2</sub>S removal and CO<sub>2</sub> assimilation.

Journal of environmental management·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

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

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

Published on: February 19, 2014

A two-level hierarchy underlies auditory novelty processing in the human brain.

Zihao Guo¹, Dong Zhang², Yiming Zhang²

¹Auditory Research Laboratory, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China.

|June 4, 2026

Summary

This study reveals a two-level brain hierarchy for processing auditory novelty. Lower brain regions respond to standard sounds, while higher regions detect novel sounds via top-down pathways.

Keywords:

Auditory hierarchy Granger causality (GC)High-frequency activity (HFA)Stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG)

More Related Videos

Slicing the Embryonic Chicken Auditory Brainstem to Evaluate Tonotopic Gradients and Microcircuits

Slicing the Embryonic Chicken Auditory Brainstem to Evaluate Tonotopic Gradients and Microcircuits

Published on: July 12, 2022

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

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

Published on: October 22, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 6, 2026

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

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

Published on: February 19, 2014

Slicing the Embryonic Chicken Auditory Brainstem to Evaluate Tonotopic Gradients and Microcircuits

Slicing the Embryonic Chicken Auditory Brainstem to Evaluate Tonotopic Gradients and Microcircuits

Published on: July 12, 2022

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

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

Published on: October 22, 2015

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Auditory Processing
Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

Predictive coding theory suggests a hierarchical brain framework for auditory novelty detection.
The precise spatiotemporal organization of brain regions within this auditory hierarchy is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the spatiotemporal organization of brain regions involved in auditory novelty processing within a hierarchical framework.
To investigate the functional connectivity and information flow between different levels of this hierarchy during novelty detection.

Main Methods:

A passive pure tone oddball paradigm was used with stereoencephalography (SEEG) recordings in epilepsy patients.
Event-related high-frequency activity and Granger causality analysis were employed to map brain responses and connectivity.

Main Results:

A two-level hierarchy was identified: temporal, insular, and parietal regions (lower level) and frontal and hippocampal regions (higher level).
Lower-level regions responded to standard stimuli, while novelty detection involved top-down modulation of connections from higher to lower levels.
Bottom-up connections remained constant, whereas top-down connections were dynamically modulated by novel auditory stimuli.

Conclusions:

Findings support a two-level spatiotemporal hierarchical model for auditory novelty processing.
Novelty detection involves prediction updating mediated by dynamically modulated top-down pathways.
This hierarchical model provides insights into how the brain processes unexpected auditory information.