Integrative Neuronal Functions in Deafness

Abstract

The auditory system has to construct a representation of the acoustic world that can be utilized to control behavior adequately. Thus, the major purpose of the auditory system is to generate a neuronal representation that allows goal-directed action (Arbib, 2005). Accordingly, several processing steps within the auditory system take place: First, the acoustic input is analyzed in the cochlea and a high-precision representation of sound is sent to the brain stem. In the brain stem, further analysis takes place, such as occurs for spectral information in the dorsal cochlear nucleus, temporal information in the ventral part of the cochlear nucleus, and binaural properties in the superior olivary complex. The high-precision representation of sound is preserved up to the level of the midbrain. Although the sensitivity to