Auditory Cortex News and Research

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The auditory cortex is the region of the brain that is responsible for processing of auditory (sound) information. The primary auditory cortex is located in the temporal lobe. There are additional areas of the human cerebral cortex that are involved in processing sound, in the frontal and parietal lobes.

The music in psychedelic therapy may be more than background sound

A narrative review examines how music interacts with psychedelics, psychological support, and treatment context in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, arguing that its role cannot be understood as an isolated component. The authors highlight limited evidence on music-specific effects and propose studying PAP as a complex intervention, with music described according to its therapeutic function rather than fixed playlists or genres.

16 Sep 2026

Silencing prefrontal cortex helps mice adopt better strategies

The prefrontal cortex, a brain region long associated with learning more flexible behaviors, can sometimes block the ability to think outside the box, a new study in mice shows.

7 Aug 2026

Brain's extracellular matrix controls learning windows and memory stability

For many who have struggled to learn a new language or instrument, it's a familiar pattern: they make rapid progress at first, then hit a plateau that no amount of diligent practice or concentration seems to break.

6 Aug 2026

Study explains how the brain focuses on a single voice in noisy environment

MIT neuroscientists have figured out how the brain is able to focus on a single voice among a cacophony of many voices, shedding light on a longstanding neuroscientific phenomenon known as the cocktail party problem.

16 Mar 2026

Chronic back pain linked to heightened sound sensitivity in the brain

People with chronic back pain process everyday sounds differently, and more intensely, than people without pain, according to new research from the University of Colorado Anschutz.

2 Mar 2026

How task engagement reshapes the brain’s auditory processing

When we are engaged in a task, our brain's auditory system changes how it works. One of the main auditory centers of the brain, auditory cortex, is filled with neural activity that is not sound driven – rather, this activity times the task, each neuron ticking at a different moment during task performance.

17 Oct 2025

Deep brain stimulation shows promise in reducing severe stuttering

While stuttering was believed to have purely psychological causes up until about 30 years ago, scientists today attribute it to a variety of factors capable of contributing to its development.

9 Oct 2025

New experimental methods show selective attention effect is exclusively cortical in humans

Research led by the University of Michigan's Kresge Hearing Research Institute and the University of Rochester illuminates the mechanisms through which humans can pick out and focus on single sounds in noisy environments.

6 Oct 2025

Study sheds light on brain activity during learning in mice

By revealing for the first time what happens in the brain when an animal makes a mistake, Johns Hopkins University researchers are shedding light on the holy grail of neuroscience: the mechanics of how we learn.

19 Mar 2025

Chronic cocaine use increases impulsivity

Findings indicate chronic cocaine use alters brain circuits, increasing impulsivity in low-impulsive rats, contradicting previous assumptions about addiction.

5 Mar 2025

Researchers train AI to read minds—by decoding brain signals into text

Scientists have developed BrainLLM, a model that translates brain activity into natural language using fMRI and AI, outperforming previous classification-based methods.

4 Mar 2025

Chronic stress rewires the brain, dulling sound perception

Repeated stress disrupts auditory processing, making sounds seem quieter over time, as shown in a new study on mice.

17 Feb 2025

Cerebral cortex plays key role in memory and novelty detection

The cerebral cortex is the largest part of a mammal's brain, and by some measures the most important. In humans in particular, it's where most things happen-like perception, thinking, memory storage and decision-making.

10 Feb 2025

Study reveals how smell and hearing interact in mouse brains

Imagine you're at a dinner party, but you can't smell the food cooking or hear the dinner bell. Sounds like a dream, right? What if it wasn't?

6 Jan 2025

Study sheds light on brain circuit behind auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia

Voice experiments in people with epilepsy have helped trace the circuit of electrical signals in the brain that allow its hearing center to sort out background sounds from their own voices.

3 Dec 2024

Vagus nerve stimulation enhances perceptual learning in mice

Just as a musician can train to more sharply distinguish subtle differences in pitch, mammals can improve their ability to interpret hearing, vision, and other senses with practice.

9 Oct 2024

Older brains adapt to recognize music by reconfiguring neural activity

Older adults exhibit changes in brain activity when recognizing musical sequences, indicating compensatory mechanisms that help maintain memory despite aging-related declines.

11 Sep 2024

Study shows how Western classical music elicits positive effects on the brain

Whether Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart, it's widely recognized that classical music can affect a person's mood.

9 Aug 2024

Researchers identify brain region that tunes hearing to contextual needs

Have you ever noticed how you can suddenly hear your refrigerator humming in the background when you focus on it? Or how the sound of your name instantly catches your attention even in a noisy crowd?

12 Jul 2024

Late-night REM sleep loss severely impacts brain connectivity, new study reveals

Research reveals that REM sleep deprivation disrupts brain connectivity, with the thalamus playing a key role in sensory information relay and REM sleep regulation.

4 Jul 2024