Imaging gray matter structure in human auditory cortex

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Attempts to relate structure and function in human auditory cortex have been seriously impeded by our inability to discern the internal architecture of cortical gray matter in living humans. Here, we propose exploiting and extending recent advances in structural MRI to resolve features of human gray matter myeloarchitecture and thickness in vivo. High-field scanning, specially-designed imaging coils, and state-of the-art 3D analysis and visualization techniques will be used to resolve - on a submillimeter scale - features of gray matter architecture (i.e., laminar structure, myelin density, thickness) that would normally be discernable only in postmortem tissue. By spatially mapping these gray matter features, we propose to delineate anatomical areas that define auditory cortical organization at a fundamental level (e.g., core, belt), but have never before been distinguished in the living human brain. Combined with functional neuroimaging, this work will enable cortical neuroanatomy and function to be related in individual humans, in ways that have so far only been possible in animals. By providing unprecedented access to the cortical neuroanatomy of living humans, the proposed work promises to open new avenues for understanding the structural underpinnings of hearing, speech, and language processes, both normal and abnormal.