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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.
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.
Perception of Sound Waves01:01

Perception of Sound Waves

The human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies in the audible range. It may perceive sound waves with the same pressure but different frequencies as having different loudness. Moreover, the perception of sound waves depends on the health of an individual's ears, which decays with age. The health of one's ears may also be affected by regular exposure to loud noises.
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same frequency...
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.
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...
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...

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

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An improved nerve-muscle preparation stimulator for student use.

The Journal of physiology·2010
Same author

Series or parallel filtering in the cochlea?

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·1981
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Theory and experiment in so-called pulse-interval pitch.

Audiology : official organ of the International Society of Audiology·1981
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Periodicity, pulse interval and pitch.

Audiology : official organ of the International Society of Audiology·1979
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Auditory cortical lesions and the precedence effect in a four-choice situation [proceedings].

The Journal of physiology·1979
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The object of the sensory cortex.

Brain, behavior and evolution·1979

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 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

Auditory cortex and the pitch of complex tones

I C Whitfield

    The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
    |February 1, 1980
    PubMed
    Summary

    Cats with auditory cortex intact can perceive pitch in complex tones. After auditory cortex removal, cats lose this ability, responding only to individual frequencies, not overall pitch.

    Area of Science:

    • Neuroscience
    • Auditory Perception
    • Animal Behavior

    Background:

    • The auditory cortex plays a crucial role in processing complex auditory information, including pitch perception.
    • Previous research suggests that intact animals primarily perceive the fundamental frequency of complex tones.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the role of the auditory cortex in complex pitch discrimination in cats.
    • To determine if cats without an auditory cortex can still perceive pitch from complex tones.

    Main Methods:

    • Cats were trained to discriminate between rising and falling pitch sequences of complex tones.
    • Auditory cortex ablation was performed bilaterally.
    • Post-ablation, cats were retrained and tested for transfer learning between different complex tones.

    More Related Videos

    Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
    09:38

    Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities

    Published on: January 29, 2014

    Stereotactically-guided Ablation of the Rat Auditory Cortex, and Localization of the Lesion in the Brain
    09:29

    Stereotactically-guided Ablation of the Rat Auditory Cortex, and Localization of the Lesion in the Brain

    Published on: October 11, 2017

    Related Experiment Videos

    Last Updated: Jul 16, 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

    Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
    09:38

    Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities

    Published on: January 29, 2014

    Stereotactically-guided Ablation of the Rat Auditory Cortex, and Localization of the Lesion in the Brain
    09:29

    Stereotactically-guided Ablation of the Rat Auditory Cortex, and Localization of the Lesion in the Brain

    Published on: October 11, 2017

    Main Results:

    • Intact cats confirmed to respond to fundamental pitch, not harmonic content.
    • Cats with auditory cortex ablation lost their initial pitch discrimination training.
    • Post-ablation cats could be retrained but showed no transfer learning between tones with similar pitch but different harmonic compositions.

    Conclusions:

    • The auditory cortex is essential for cats to perceive the overall pitch of complex tones.
    • Following ablation, cats process complex tones based on individual frequencies rather than integrated pitch.
    • This suggests a critical role for the auditory cortex in synthesizing spectral components into a unified pitch percept.