The primary auditory area contains a frequency map: different neurons respond best to particular frequencies. This frequency distinction is also found in the cochlea and the auditory pathway to the brain. It means, that the primary auditory cortex possesses a tonotopic organization. Bilateral lesions of Heschl's gyri may result in central deafness. Heschl's gyrus involvement in basic processing of auditory stimuli, processing discontinued acoustic patterns, rapid sound detection, and similar auditory processes seems quite obvious. Its activation during visual word recognition and auditory short-term memory also seems understandable. Nonetheless, it may be unexpected and intriguing that it activates when reading speech from faces (watching articulatory gestures). This may suggest and internal representation of the speech sounds (mirror neurons?).
| Home | Introduction | Interact | Directory of Functions |