Title
Dissociated lateralization of transient and sustained blood oxygen level-dependent signal components in human primary auditory cortex.
Abstract
Among other auditory operations, the analysis of different sound levels received at both ears is fundamental for the localization of a sound source. These so-called interaural level differences, in animals, are coded by excitatory–inhibitory neurons yielding asymmetric hemispheric activity patterns with acoustic stimuli having maximal interaural level differences. In human auditory cortex, the temporal blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response to auditory inputs, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), consists of at least two independent components: an initial transient and a subsequent sustained signal, which, on a different time scale, are consistent with electrophysiological human and animal response patterns. However, their specific functional role remains unclear. Animal studies suggest these temporal components being based on different neural networks and having specific roles in representing the external acoustic environment. Here we hypothesized that the transient and sustained response constituents are differentially involved in coding interaural level differences and therefore play different roles in spatial information processing. Healthy subjects underwent monaural and binaural acoustic stimulation and BOLD responses were measured using high signal-to-noise-ratio fMRI. In the anatomically segmented Heschl’s gyrus the transient response was bilaterally balanced, independent of the side of stimulation, while in opposite the sustained response was contralateralized. This dissociation suggests a differential role at these two independent temporal response components, with an initial bilateral transient signal subserving rapid sound detection and a subsequent lateralized sustained signal subserving detailed sound characterization.
Year
DOI
Venue
2007
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.11.011
NeuroImage
Keywords
Field
DocType
Auditory system,Sound localization,Lateralization,Imaging,fMRI,Statistical modeling
Auditory cortex,Neuroscience,Functional magnetic resonance imaging,Blood-oxygen-level dependent,Cognitive psychology,Psychology,Auditory system,Speech recognition,Sound localization,Stimulus (physiology),Binaural recording,Monaural
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
34
4
1053-8119
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
3
0.53
4
Authors
11
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Christoph Lehmann1142.25
M HERDENER2355.00
Peter Schneider331.55
andrea federspiel4234.27
D BACH5347.04
Fabrizio Esposito642136.61
Francesco Di Salle715516.25
Klaus Scheffler812419.24
Robert Kretz981.21
Thomas Dierks10507.16
Erich Seifritz11356.11