Behavioral Neuroscience Lecture on Auditory Cortex and Vestibular System

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on the auditory cortex and vestibular system in Behavioral Neuroscience.

Auditory Cortex

The part of the brain responsible for processing sound, consisting of core, belt, and parabelt regions.

Tonotopic Organization

An orderly representation of sound frequencies in the auditory cortex where different frequencies are processed in different areas.

Core Region

Brodmann area 41, including the primary auditory cortex, located in the auditory cortex.

Belt Region

Surrounds the core region of the auditory cortex and responds to sounds of intermediate complexity.

Parabelt Region

Located in the posterolateral superior temporal gyrus and processes complex sounds.

Dorsal Pathway

The auditory 'where' (or 'how') pathway that processes sound location.

Ventral Pathway

The auditory 'what' pathway that processes auditory objects like speech.

Otolith Organs

Structures in the vestibular system that detect linear acceleration and changes in head angle.

Semicircular Canals

Structures in the vestibular system that detect angular acceleration.

Push-Pull Mechanism

The functional pairing of semicircular canals on opposite sides of the head, allowing for sensitive detection of rotational movements.

Phoneme

A perceptually distinct unit of speech.

Harmonics

Sound components at frequencies that are integer multiples of a fundamental frequency, important for identifying auditory objects.

Vestibular Cortex

Brain areas that integrate vestibular information with other sensory inputs to help maintain posture and balance.

Macula

Sensory apparatus in otolith organs that responds to tilt.

Hair Cells

Sensory receptors in the cochlea and vestibular system that generate electrical signals in response to mechanical movements.