Abstract
Recent studies of the higher auditory system have
reinforced the concept of parallel processing as an
organisational strategy in all sensory pathways. Separate
auditory pathways, having their origins in the cochlear
nucleus, carry information leading to topographic
representations of various sound parameters in higher
nuclei. In addition to sound frequency, intensity and
position have been shown to be mapped across various
auditory system nuclei in some species. Complex sounds
may also have a topographic organisation. The functional
significance of these maps is presently unclear. The
existence of some maps only at higher levels of the auditory
system suggests that much of the organisational complexity
of the system may be concerned with the analysis of
acoustic parameters that are simply relayed through more
peripheral auditory structures. However, sound frequency is
mapped at every level of the system. The relationship
between these representations of the auditory receptor
surface and the other, centrally synthesised maps is
currently an issue of intense research interest.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 856-70 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | British Medical Bulletin |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 1987 |
Keywords
- Acoustic Stimulation
- Animals
- Auditory Cortex
- Auditory Pathways
- Brain
- Brain Stem
- Journal Article
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Review