HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 96/6/3323    most recent 00392.2006v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (6) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Woods, T. M. Articles by Recanzone, G. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Woods, T. M. Articles by Recanzone, G. H.

Effects of Stimulus Azimuth and Intensity on the Single-Neuron Activity in the Auditory Cortex of the Alert Macaque Monkey

¹Center for Neuroscience and ²Section of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, California

Submitted 13 April 2006; accepted in final form 22 August 2006

It has been hypothesized that the primate auditory cortex is composed of at least two processing streams, one of which is believed to selectively process spatial information. To test whether spatial information is differentially encoded in different auditory cortical fields, we recorded the responses of single neurons in the auditory cortex of alert macaque monkeys to broadband noise stimuli presented from 360° in azimuth at four different absolute intensities. Cortical areas tested were core areas A1 and rostral (R), caudal belt fields caudomedial and caudolateral, and more rostral belt fields middle lateral and middle medial (MM). We found that almost all neurons encountered showed some spatial tuning. However, spatial selectivity measures showed that the caudal belt fields had the sharpest spatial tuning, A1 had intermediate spatial tuning, and areas R and MM had the least spatial tuning. Although most neurons showed their best responses to contralateral space, best azimuths were observed across the entire 360° of tested space. We also noted that although the responses of many neurons were significantly influenced by eye position, eye position did not systematically influence any of the spatially dependent responses that we measured. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that caudal auditory cortical fields in the primate process spatial features more accurately than the core and more rostral belt fields.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				U. Werner-Reiss and J. M. Groh A Rate Code for Sound Azimuth in Monkey Auditory Cortex: Implications for Human Neuroimaging Studies J. Neurosci., April 2, 2008; 28(14): 3747 - 3758. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. H. Scott, B. J. Malone, and M. N. Semple Effect of Behavioral Context on Representation of a Spatial Cue in Core Auditory Cortex of Awake Macaques J. Neurosci., June 13, 2007; 27(24): 6489 - 6499. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Spierer, E. Tardif, H. Sperdin, M. M. Murray, and S. Clarke Learning-Induced Plasticity in Auditory Spatial Representations Revealed by Electrical Neuroimaging J. Neurosci., May 16, 2007; 27(20): 5474 - 5483. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]