Areas of the brain involved in Auditory learning

Areas of the brain involved in Auditory learning

-by Timothy Lyons

Two important areas of the brain involved in Auditory learning are the amygdala and the hippocampus (Carson & Birkett, 2017). Sound information is brought from the ears through the auditory cortex, a part of the temporal lobe in the cerebral cortex. Once this information is processed it is sent to the lateral nucleus of the amygdala. It is believed that learning takes place in this location. Neuronal terminal buttons transmit this information to the lateral nucleus by forming synapses through connections with dendritic spines to each other. These actions are accomplished by activation of a type of receptor known as NMDA. The receptors produce an additional type of glutamate receptor, the AMPA which is also called long term potentiation. Long term potentiation is essentially a strengthening of connections between synapses. The actions in areas of the brain involved in Auditory learning are a physiological response to the sensory input which creates what is believed to be associations or relational memories with other areas of the brain.

The hippocampus plays a role in areas of the brain involved in Auditory learning through the modification and linking of these memories. From (Carson & Birkett, 2017) we can also see that it is necessary for the retrieval of those memories for later use, due to its central function and connections with other areas of the brain. The formation of physiological changes occurs in this area as a result of input from many areas of the brain but in particular input from the hippocampus. This gives rise to associations which assist in understanding of context such as order of events and perception of objects or in this case auditory information that identifies with particular objects. From these actions we can see that learning is about context and association. The formation of stronger connections are memories that result from the auditory information. This is one way in which learning occurs.

References for Areas of the brain involved in Auditory learning

Blanke, M. L., & VanDongen, A. M. (2009). Activation Mechanisms of the NMDA Receptor. In A. M. VanDongen (Ed.), Biology of the NMDA Receptor (1 ed.). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK5274/

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Carlson, N. R., & Birkett, M. A. (2017). Physiology of Behavior (12 ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

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