From neurons to behavior: the view from auditory cortex

Auditory cortex is located at a crossroad. Primary auditory cortex is the furthest place along the auditory hierarchy in which tonotopy still plays a major organizational role and sound representations are still primarily in terms of acoustic features. However, already in primary auditory cortex non-acoustic features start to strongly influence neuronal activity — from the sequential organization of sounds to choice-related activity when sounds are used for decision making. Beyond the core, responses in secondary auditory fields may represent perception rather than sensation. Thus, auditory cortex provides a fascinating opportunity to study the transformation from sensation to perception. This review concentrates on studies at the neuronal level in animal models. Reviewed here are three major aspects of auditory cortex function: the circuitry of auditory cortex, including both local and long distance connections; sound coding; and the role of auditory cortex in behavior.