Primary auditory cortex

The primary auditory cortex the region of the brain which is responsible for processing of auditory (sound) information. Like other primary sensory cortical areas, auditory sensations only reach perception if received and processed by a cortical area.

Neurons in the auditory cortex are organised according to the frequency of sound to which they respond best. Neurons at one end of the auditory cortex respond best to low frequencies, neurons at the other respond best to high frequencies. There are multiple auditory areas (much like the multiple areas in the visual cortex) which can be distinguished anatomically and on the basis that they contain a complete "frequency map." The purpose of this frequency map (known as a tonotopic map) is unknown and is likely to reflect the fact that the sensory epithelium of the auditory system, the cochlea, is arranged according to sound frequency. The auditory cortex is involved in tasks such as identifying and segregating auditory "objects" and identifying the location of a sound in space.

Anatomical location

The primary auditory cortex is about the same as Brodmann areas 41 and 42. It lies in the posterior half of the superior temporal gyrus and also dives into the lateral sulcus as the transverse temporal gyri (also called Heschl's gyri).