Primary auditory cortex

Relationship to the auditory system

The primary auditory cortex is tonotopically organized, which means that neighboring cells in the primary auditory cortex respond to neighboring frequencies. Tonotopic mapping is preserved throughout most of the audition circuit. The primary auditory cortex receives direct input from the medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus and thus is thought to identify the fundamental elements of music, such as pitch and loudness.