Areas of the brain involved in hearing

Areas of the brain involved in hearing

-By Timothy Lyons

The main areas of the brain involved in hearing are called the primary and secondary auditory cortexes. The primary auditory cortex is part of the superior temporal gyrus in the temporal lobe. These are the internal brain structures responsible for processing but the inputs are fed through a series of brain areas.  The data is transported from the cochlear nerve to the superior olivary nucleus (SOL). This is processed and sent to the inferior colliculus(IC), the medial geniculate nucleus (MGN), and finally to the auditory cortex (Carson & Birkett, 2017; Purves, Augustine, & Fitzpatrick, 2001).

From (Carson & Birkett, 2017; Purves, Augustine, & Fitzpatrick, 2001) we can see that the primary auditory cortex which is areas of the brain involved in hearing, is divided into sections that are a map which is topographical but because the information has already been processed into differentiated sounds it is called tonotopic. These divisions correspond directly with their inputs.

Another one of areas of the brain involved in hearing is the secondary auditory cortex is less accurate and receives signals that are diluted.  Sound information is processed in two flows known as anterior and posterior. The anterior analyzes sound and the posterior is used in sound localization. These areas in the brain are also responsible for musical perception such as harmony, beat and rhythm patterns (Stewart, Von Kriegstein, Warren, & Griffiths, 2006).

Results of damage to auditory cortexes

Any damage to these areas of the brain involved in hearing which prevent processing can result in a person’s inability to perceive analysis and location of sound information. Although lesions in the auditory cortex can end in total deafness, they can also produce deficiencies that impair sound perception that does not leave the person deaf. Examples include patients who suffered lesions in these areas that no longer had the ability to recognize what the sounds were, the location of the sound and even what made the sound. Lesions that cause problems with music can result in a condition known as amusia. This is the inability to perceive melody and rhythm. This can compromise the ability to differentiate between unpleasant and pleasant music. It can also result in ones inability to produce or understand melody and rhythm (Carson & Birkett, 2017; Stewart, Von Kriegstein, Warren, & Griffiths, 2006).

References for Areas of the brain involved in hearing

The Brain Connection. (2013, March 5). The Anatomy of Movement [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://brainconnection.brainhq.com/2013/03/05/the-anatomy-of-movement/

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

The Free Dictionary. (2003). Somatotopic. In Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health (7 ed.). Retrieved January 22, 2017, from http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/somatotopic

Friel, K. M., Barbay, S., Frost, S. B., Plautz, E. J., Stowe, A. M., & Dancause, N.,…Nudo, R. J. (2007). Effects of a Rostral Motor Cortex Lesion on Primary Motor Cortex Hand Representation Topography in Primates. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, 21(1), 51-61. Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.1177/1545968306291851

Price, M. (2011, January). The risks of night work. Monitor on Psychology, 42(1), 38. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/01/night-work.aspx

Purves, D., Augustine, G. J., & Fitzpatrick, D. (Eds.). (2001). Neuroscience (2 ed.). Summerland, MA: Sinauer Associates. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10796/

Stewart, L., Von Kriegstein, K., Warren, J. D., & Griffiths, T. D. (2006). Music and the brain: disorders of musical. Brain, 129(10), 2533-2553. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awl171