Mammalian Auditory Cortex—Some Comparative Observations

Abstract

The organization of auditory cortical fields has been described in a number of marsupial, insectivore, rodent, carnivore, and primate species. These studies have been conducted with limited consideration of the issues of comparative development. Experiments have been piecemeal, and results seldom confirmed. There has been only anecdotal study of the auditory cortex in primitive insectivores, and few or no studies of auditory forebrain anatomy or physiology in several groups of hearing-specialized mammals, including toothed whales, pinnipeds, and burrowing insectivores and rodents. Taken as a whole, these data provide only a limited basis for understanding the phylogenetic development of the auditory cortex in mammals, or for drawing comparative conclusions about cortical field homologies or niche-related specializations.