Thalamic and cortical pathways supporting auditory processing.
The neural processing of auditory information engages pathways that begin initially at the cochlea and that eventually reach forebrain structures. At these higher levels, the computations necessary for extracting auditory source and identity information rely on the neuroanatomical connections between the thalamus and cortex. Here, the general organization of these connections in the medial geniculate body (thalamus) and the auditory cortex is reviewed. In addition, we consider two models organizing the thalamocortical pathways of the non-tonotopic and multimodal auditory nuclei. Overall, the transfer of information to the cortex via the thalamocortical pathways is complemented by the numerous intracortical and corticocortical pathways. Although interrelated, the convergent interactions among thalamocortical, corticocortical, and commissural pathways enable the computations necessary for the emergence of higher auditory perception.
Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Louisiana State University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA. cclee@lsu.edu
Charles C
CC
Lee
D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*