Action Potentials from the Cochlea Are Transmitted Up Through the Brainstem to the Cerebral Cortex
Action potentials arising in the cochlea travel along the cochlear portion of the eighth cranial nerve to the cochlear nuclei in the medulla oblongata. From there, neural activity is synaptic- ally relayed, in a sequential manner, to the superior olivary nucleus (near the pontomedullary border), the inferior colliculus of the midbrain, the medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, and finally to the auditory cortex of the temporal lobe.
Conscious perception of sound occurs in the cerebral cortex. Because of extensive connections of central auditory neurons across the midline, information originating in the cochlear nuclei on one side can reach other auditory nuclei on both sides of the brain. Each nucleus in the auditory pathway has a tonotopic representation of sound frequency but is specialized to process particular features of sound. For example, the superior olivary nucleus plays a major role in determining which side of the head an environmental sound source is coming from, whereas the medial geniculate nucleus is specialized to detect certain combinations of frequencies, as well as timing patterns among sounds.
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