Physiological functions and neural mechanisms of descending projections from the auditory cortex

在背景噪声存在的情况下识别和定位感兴趣的声音的能力对于哺乳动物的行为需求是重要的。这种能力依赖于中枢听觉系统，中枢听觉系统由几个神经结构组成，其中听觉皮质处于最高水平。听觉皮质接受来自皮质下听觉结构的上行神经投射，并向这些结构提供下行投射，这表明该皮质结构不仅通过处理它接收到的神经信号来促进听力，而且还通过控制皮质下神经反应来促进听力。

The capability to recognize and localize sounds of interest in the presence of background noise is important for the behavioral needs of mammals. This capability is dependent on the central auditory system which consists of several neural structures with the auditory cortex being at the highest level. The auditory cortex receives ascending neural projections from subcortical auditory structures and provides descending projections to these structures, indicating that this cortical structure contributes to hearing not only by processing neural signals that it receives but also by controlling subcortical neural responses.