2018 May;362:48-60. Forbes CE, Grafman J. Although the auditory cortex has a number of subdivisions, a broad distinction can be made between a primary auditory cortex, secondary auditory cortex (peripheral area) and tertiary auditory cortex (belt area) (Figure 1). The auditory nerve transmits auditory information up a series of nuclei to cortex where perception occurs. In humans, the auditory cortex is located in the temporal lobe (located in both sides of the head behind the ears). It also has a role in auditory memory. For this reason, even when the auditory cortical area of one side is injured by trauma or stroke, binaural hearing may be minimally affected. Secondary auditory cortex (AII), which doesn't have clear tonotopic organisation but has an important role in sound localisation and analysis of complex sounds: in particular for specific animal vocalisations and human language. The auditory cortex is located on... See full answer below. When the interstimulus interval falls below 10 ms (B1), these neurons only fire at the beginning and the end of the stimulus (onset and offset responses, respectively). Information from the peripheral auditory system reaches central auditory nuclei via the auditory nerve. It lies in the posterior half of the superior temporal gyrus and also dives into the lateral sulcus as the transverse temporal gyri also called Heschl’s gyri. If it is to the right or left of midline, a temporal delay occurs between the inputs for the two ears. (B) An oblique section (plane of dashed line in A) shows the cortical areas on the superior surface of the temporal lobe. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-. cortex. J. Neurosci. In humans and other primates, the primary acoustic area in the cerebral cortex is the superior transverse temporal gyri also called Heschl’s gyri, a ridge in the temporal lobe, on the lower lip of the deep cleft between the temporal and parietal lobes, known as the lateral sulcus (Sylvian fissure), which contains the primary auditory cortex. In: StatPearls [Internet]. ; Important structures within the temporal lobes include the olfactory cortex, the hippocampus, Wernicke's Area, and the amygdala. Selectivity and persistent firing responses to social vocalizations in the basolateral amygdala. Subcortical pathways: Towards a better understanding of auditory disorders. Studies of human patients with bilateral damage to the auditory cortex also reveal severe problems in processing the temporal order of sounds. It seems likely, therefore, that specific regions of the human auditory cortex are specialized for processing elementary speech sounds, as well as other temporally complex acoustical signals, such as music. Otolith • Vestibular aqueduct • Canalis reuniens, Kinetic/rotations: Semicircular canals (Superior, Posterior, Horizontal) • Ampullary cupula • Ampullae (Crista ampullaris), primary sulci/fissures: medial longitudinal, lateral, central, parietoöccipital, calcarine, cingulate, frontal lobe: precentral gyrus (primary motor cortex, 4), precentral sulcus, superior frontal gyrus (6, 8), middle frontal gyrus (46), inferior frontal gyrus (Broca's area, 44-pars opercularis, 45-pars triangularis), prefrontal cortex (orbitofrontal cortex, 9, 10, 11, 12, 47), parietal lobe: postcentral sulcus, postcentral gyrus (1, 2, 3, 43), superior parietal lobule (5), inferior parietal lobule (39-angular gyrus, 40), precuneus (7), intraparietal sulcus, occipital lobe: primary visual cortex (17), cuneus, lingual gyrus, 18, 19 (18 and 19 span whole lobe), temporal lobe: transverse temporal gyrus (41-42-primary auditory cortex), superior temporal gyrus (38, 22-Wernicke's area), middle temporal gyrus (21), inferior temporal gyrus (20), fusiform gyrus (36, 37), limbic lobe/fornicate gyrus: cingulate cortex/cingulate gyrus, anterior cingulate (24, 32, 33), posterior cingulate (23, 31), isthmus (26, 29, 30), parahippocampal gyrus (piriform cortex, 25, 27, 35), entorhinal cortex (28, 34), subcortical/insular cortex: rhinencephalon, olfactory bulb, corpus callosum, lateral ventricles, septum pellucidum, ependyma, internal capsule, corona radiata, external capsule, hippocampal formation: dentate gyrus, hippocampus, subiculum, basal ganglia: striatum (caudate nucleus, putamen), lentiform nucleus (putamen, globus pallidus), claustrum, extreme capsule, amygdala, nucleus accumbens. Easy! This is likely due to the need for both ipsilateral and contralateral information for many aspects of auditory processing. Different aspects of environmental sounds (e.g., attenuation: how loud the sound is; location in space; frequency, and combination sensitivity) are processed in each of the central auditory areas. The functional division of the auditory cortex enables temporal variations of a stimulus to be decoded extremely accurately compared to other centers of the auditory pathway. The location is also within a half day’s drive of six or more National Parks. Solved: What is the auditory cortex? The auditory cortex is the most highly organized processing unit of sound in the brain. These structures are formed concentrically around one another, with the primary auditory cortex in the middle and the tertiary auditory cortex on the outside. 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