Response: Sound analysis in auditory cortex – from temporal decomposition to perception

Abstract

We are grateful for Robert Zatorre's insightful endorsement [ 1 Zatorre, R.J. Sound analysis in auditory cortex. Trends Neurosci. (in press). Google Scholar ] of our view regarding the significance of temporal decomposition of sensory signals in the auditory system [ 2 Seifritz E. et al. Spatiotemporal pattern of neural processing in the human auditory cortex. Science. 2002; 297: 1706-1708 Crossref PubMed Scopus (181) Google Scholar ]. Here, we would like to emphasize some of the points raised in Zatorre's excellent review that appear to be particularly specific for audition, as compared with vision. In the auditory domain, all sensory input is received in series, and it is the time dimension that is crucial for the construction of auditory scenes. Consider that a painting by Van Gogh or the face of a familiar person can be recognized within a few dozens of milliseconds, whereas a melody of Mozart or the voice of a loved one requires several seconds of listening before it can be recognized. A brief snapshot of a complex sound is often nothing but an incoherent burst of noise, whereas a visual snapshot of the same duration can easily produce a coherent percept of useful information.