Intro | Primary Auditory Cortex | Central Fissure | Frontal Lobe | Lateral Fissure | Primary Motor Cortex | Occipital Lobe | Parietal Lobe | Primary Somatosensory Cortex | Temporal Lobe | Primary Visual Cortex
Part 1: Image-Mapped Tutorial
Part 2: Matching Self-Test
Part 3: Multiple-Choice Self-Test
Primary Auditory Cortex is located in the temporal lobe below the lateral fissure. Primary auditory cortex contains neurons that register the characteristics of sound. Damage to this region of cortex typically results in an inability to hear the sound frequency represented by the damaged neurons.
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Most of primary auditory is literally located in the lateral fissure along the upper or superior surface of the temporal lobe. Like other areas of the cerebral cortex, auditory cortex is organized in functional columns. All neurons within a column respond optimally to sounds within the same frequency range. Auditory cortex is also organized according to tone. The anterior (in front) regions respond to higher frequencies, whereas the posterior (in back) regions respond to lower frequencies. Primary auditory cortex is surrounded by secondary auditory cortex, which is subdivided into six distinct areas.