Fourth Day: Primary Auditory Cortex

Today I investigated the primary auditory cortex.  From several medical encyclopedias I've found online, I've learned quite a bit about this part of the brain which deals with all types of sounds.  Thus, it plays a huge role in our ability to listen to music and speech (as I found out previously, these two are interrelated) and gives us a sense of rhythm.

Also, there is a part of the auditory cortex, called Wernicke's area, that is involved in even processing WRITTEN language.  Actually, this is the subelement of the auditory cortex that allows us to understand language.  The orientation of Wernicke's area, depending on whether it is on the left or right hemisphere of the brain, also makes us right or left handed!

Interestingly, the neurons, or nerve cells, in this area of the brain are arranged in a specific manner.  Certain nerve cells only respond when a particular signal arrives from the ears, corresponding to a specific frequency.  That is really cool, because that means that different neurons activate when I hear different sounds.  It's quite similar to what goes on in the ear, actually!  If you lose part of your auditory cortex, then it just means you've lost the ability to listen to a particular range of pitches.

The primary auditory cortex is responsible for handling simpler elements in sound, such as pitch.  The secondary auditory cortex, which I might cover later, handles complex rhythmic patterns and gives us the ability to enjoy music.

This was an interesting day investigating the first step in how our brains perceive music.  It is really much more complex than I ever thought, and it is even related to our ability to use written language!  Who knew?!