Encoding of Spectral Correlation over Time in Auditory Cortex

Natural sounds contain multiple spectral components that vary over time. The degree of variation can be characterized in terms of correlation between successive time frames of the spectrum, or as a time window within which any two frames show a minimum degree of correlation: the greater the correlation of the spectrum between successive time frames, the longer the time window. Recent studies suggest differences in the encoding of shorter and longer time windows in left and right auditory cortex, respectively. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging study assessed brain activation in response to the systematic variation of the time window in complex spectra that are more similar to natural sounds than in previous studies. The data show bilateral activity in the planum temporale and anterior superior temporal gyrus as a function of increasing time windows, as well as activity in the superior temporal sulcus that was significantly lateralized to the right. The results suggest a coexistence of hierarchical and lateralization schemes for representing increasing time windows in auditory association cortex.