PSYC 367 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Inferior Colliculus, Orbitofrontal Cortex, Medial Geniculate Nucleus
Document Summary
Discuss the coding of sound intensity information in the inner ear. List, in order, the 4 main stations where synapses occur along the auditory pathways between the inner ear and the cortex, and state whether the neurons are monaural or binaural. Describe the connections and function of the olivocochlear bundle. Identify the 3 main auditory cortical areas on a diagram of the brain, and describe their tonotopic organization. Describe the projections and function of the auditory what and where pathways through the parabelt region and on to other cortical areas. Explain how to obtain an audibility curve with air-conducted or bone-conducted sound. Low-spontaneous fibres - high threshold, maximum rate above 60 db. High-spontaneous fibres - low threshold, maximum rate below 60 db. Already firing when there is no sound, saturates quickly below 60 db. Can"t carry information to the brain at low sound intensities. There are also mid-spontaneous fibres that fire between the high and low-spontaneous fibres.