Biology of the Auditory System

Abstract

The auditory system detects pressure fluctuations that propagate as waves. It can be considered as a successor of the lateral line system, which enables fish and some amphibians to detect particle accelerations. These indicate the location and swimming direction of near objects. The auditory system in fish extends the detection range of the lateral line system. Accordingly, its original function can be considered to be spatial orientation and mental representation of the acoustic surrounding, rather than communication. Starting with the lateral line system of fish and their auditory system, the human ear and auditory pathway are described. It appears that spatial information is encoded at the earliest stages of auditory processing in the brain. Spatial attributes of sound are Sound sources are localized long before they are recognized or consciously perceived.