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.

Study investigates how early blindness shapes sound processing

Adults who lost their vision at an early age have more refined auditory cortex responses to simple sounds than sighted individuals, according to new neuroimaging research published in JNeurosci.

From Society for Neuroscience 23 Apr 2019

Researchers map auditory sensory system of the mouse brain

University of Oregon neuroscientists report that two areas of the mouse brain combine representations of what is heard and anticipated, guiding behavior that leads mice to the best reward.

19 Apr 2019

Researchers study how the auditory system achieves accurate speech recognition

For humans to achieve accurate speech recognition and communicate with one another, the auditory system must recognize distinct categories of sounds - such as words - from a continuous incoming stream of sounds.

27 Mar 2019

Artificial neural networks can predict how different areas in the brain respond to words

Can artificial intelligence (AI) help us understand how the brain understands language? Can neuroscience help us understand why AI and neural networks are effective at predicting human perception?

21 Mar 2019

Sounds and vibrations are quite similar for the brain, finds new study

We all know the feeling of a mobile phone vibrating in our hands when announcing an incoming call. If we perceive these vibrations so clearly, it is due to specialized receptors that transduce them into neural signals sent to our brain.

21 Mar 2019

Columbia neuroengineers create new system to translate thoughts into speech

In a scientific first, Columbia neuroengineers have created a system that translates thought into intelligible, recognizable speech. By monitoring someone's brain activity, the technology can reconstruct the words a person hears with unprecedented clarity.

29 Jan 2019

Study delves deeper into developmental dyslexia

Men with dyslexia have altered structural connections between the thalamus and auditory cortex on the left side of the brain, new research published in JNeurosci reveals.

From Society for Neuroscience 16 Jan 2019

Sound can affect perception of touch in mice

Our eyes, ears and skin are responsible for different senses. Moreover, our brain assigns these senses to different regions: the visual cortex, auditory cortex and somatosensory cortex. However, it is clear that there are anatomical connections between these different cortices such that brain activation to one sense can influence brain activation to another

30 Dec 2018

Imagination can help overcome fear and anxiety-related disorders, shows study

Imagine a barking dog, a furry spider or another perceived threat and your brain and body respond much like they would if you experienced the real thing.

11 Dec 2018

Neuroplasticity is increased but dysregulated in the aging brain, study finds

They say you can't teach old dogs new tricks, but new research shows you can teach an old rat new sounds, even if the lesson doesn't stick very long.

19 Sep 2018

Research provides better understanding of mechanisms underlying memory storage

Memories are formed through long-term changes in synaptic efficacy, a process known as synaptic plasticity, and are stored in the brain in specific neuronal ensembles called engram cells, which are activated during corresponding events.

16 Jul 2018

Early-life seizures prematurely switch on key brain synapses related to autism

Early-life seizures prematurely switch on key synapses in the brain that may contribute to further neurodevelopmental delay in children with autism and other intellectual disabilities, suggests a new study from researchers at Penn Medicine published online in Cell Reports.

29 May 2018

Human brain processes sight and sound in the same way, shows study

Although sight is a much different sense than sound, Georgetown University Medical Center neuroscientists have found that the human brain learns to make sense of these stimuli in the same way.

19 Apr 2018

Preterm babies likely to experience delays in auditory brain development, study reveals

Preterm babies born early in the third trimester of pregnancy are likely to experience delays in the development of the auditory cortex, a brain region essential to hearing and understanding sound, a new study reveals.

15 Jan 2018

Study finds altered blood flow in brains of preterm newborns

According to a new prospective and observational study published today in The Journal of Pediatrics, very premature infants suffer from an altered cerebral blood flow (CBF) of key regions of the brain which may help to warn of complications in brain maturation, far sooner than conventional imaging could visually reveal.

4 Dec 2017

Study shows potential of neurofeedback in tinnitus treatment

A study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) suggests that neurofeedback training has the potential to lessen the severity of tinnitus or even eliminate it.

27 Nov 2017

Brain’s motor signals sharpen sound perception, research suggests

Whether it is dancing or just tapping one foot to the beat, we all experience how auditory signals like music can induce movement. Now new research suggests that motor signals in the brain actually sharpen sound perception, and this effect is increased when we move in rhythm with the sound.

6 Oct 2017

Salk professor awarded $950,000 NSF grant to explore how the brain processes complex sounds

Salk Associate Professor Tatyana Sharpee has been awarded a grant of approximately $950,000 over 4 years by the National Science Foundation to study how the brain processes complex sounds. This grant is part of a multi-national project together with groups in France and Israel.

7 Sep 2017

New study pinpoints origin of abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder

The origins of autism remain mysterious. What areas of the brain are involved, and when do the first signs appear? New findings published in Biological Psychiatry brings us closer to understanding the pathology of autism, and the point at which it begins to take shape in the human brain.

29 Aug 2017

Breakthrough research brings cognitive hearing aids a step closer to reality

People who are hearing impaired have a difficult time following a conversation in a multi-speaker environment such as a noisy restaurant or a party. While current hearing aids can suppress background noise, they cannot help a user listen to a single conversation among many without knowing which speaker the user is attending to.

4 Aug 2017