Functional imaging of auditory scene analysis

• Published in: Hearing research 2014-01, Vol.307, p.98-110
• Main Authors: Gutschalk, Alexander, Dykstra, Andrew R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acoustic Stimulation; Attention; Auditory Cortex - anatomy & histology; Auditory Cortex - physiology; Auditory Pathways - physiology; Auditory Perception; Brain Mapping - methods; Cues; Electroencephalography; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Magnetoencephalography; Models, Neurological; Models, Psychological; Noise - adverse effects; Pattern Recognition, Physiological; Perceptual Masking
• ISSN: 0378-5955; 1878-5891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2013.08.003

Our auditory system is constantly faced with the task of decomposing the complex mixture of sound arriving at the ears into perceptually independent streams constituting accurate representations of individual sound sources. This decomposition, termed auditory scene analysis, is critical for both survival and communication, and is thought to underlie both speech and music perception. The neural underpinnings of auditory scene analysis have been studied utilizing invasive experiments with animal models as well as non-invasive (MEG, EEG, and fMRI) and invasive (intracranial EEG) studies conducted with human listeners. The present article reviews human neurophysiological research investigating the neural basis of auditory scene analysis, with emphasis on two classical paradigms termed streaming and informational masking. Other paradigms – such as the continuity illusion, mistuned harmonics, and multi-speaker environments – are briefly addressed thereafter. We conclude by discussing the emerging evidence for the role of auditory cortex in remapping incoming acoustic signals into a perceptual representation of auditory streams, which are then available for selective attention and further conscious processing. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled . •Auditory scene analysis is a fundamental aspect of auditory perception and cognition.•Evidence for feature-based separation exist at the level of auditory cortex.•Later activity in auditory cortex reflect perception and attention more closely.•Auditory cortex may transform auditory sensation into auditory objects.