Active stream segregation specifically involves the left human auditory cortex

An important aspect of auditory scene analysis is the sequential grouping of similar sounds into one “auditory stream” while keeping competing streams separate. In the present low-noise fMRI study we presented sequences of alternating high-pitch (A) and low-pitch (B) complex harmonic tones using aco...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hearing research 2010-06, Vol.265 (1), p.30-37
Main Authors: Deike, Susann, Scheich, Henning, Brechmann, André
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic Stimulation
Adult
Audition
Auditory Cortex - physiology
Auditory Pathways - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain Mapping - methods
Cues
Ear and associated structures. Auditory pathways and centers. Hearing. Vocal organ. Phonation. Sound production. Echolocation
Female
Functional Laterality
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Perception
Perceptual Masking
Pitch Discrimination
Psychoacoustics
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Signal Detection, Psychological
Task Performance and Analysis
Time Factors
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
Young Adult
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Summary:An important aspect of auditory scene analysis is the sequential grouping of similar sounds into one “auditory stream” while keeping competing streams separate. In the present low-noise fMRI study we presented sequences of alternating high-pitch (A) and low-pitch (B) complex harmonic tones using acoustic parameters that allow the perception of either two separate streams or one alternating stream. However, the subjects were instructed to actively and continuously segregate the A from the B stream. This was controlled by the additional instruction to listen for rare level deviants only in the low-pitch stream. Compared to the control condition in which only one non-separable stream was presented the active segregation of the A from the B stream led to a selective increase of activation in the left auditory cortex (AC). Together with a similar finding from a previous study using a different acoustic cue for streaming, namely timbre, this suggests that the left auditory cortex plays a dominant role in active sequential stream segregation. However, we found cue differences within the left AC: Whereas in the posterior areas, including the planum temporale, activation increased for both acoustic cues, the anterior areas, including Heschl’s gyrus, are only involved in stream segregation based on pitch.
ISSN:0378-5955
1878-5891
DOI:10.1016/j.heares.2010.03.005