Functional Organization of Non-Primary Auditory Cortex

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Functional specialization is a common characteristic of the cerebral cortex. Globally, regions are specialized to perform particular sensory or motor functions. Within extrastriate visual cortex of humans, monkeys and cats, areas have been identified that are further specialized for spatial, motion, and pattern processing. The behavioural correlate for such functional specializations, or a “division of labour”, within auditory cortex is largely unknown. The long-term goal of our research program is to elucidate the behavioral “division of labour” within cat auditory cortex and determine the relative contributions that the different auditory fields make to acoustically-mediated behaviors. These results, when combined with investigations of underlying neuronal activity and cerebral connections, will provide evidence for, or refute, which hierarchical or network theories best explain processing in auditory cortex.