A movement-sensitive area in auditory cortex

It is important to recognize sound patterns, regardless of their position and motion. The ability to locate sound sources and track their motion involves various levels of the auditory pathways1,2. Motion and pattern analysis may first be spatially separated in the auditory cortex. We have examined this by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and find a higher-order field in the right auditory cortex that is activated by sound motion significantly more than other fields of the auditory cortex. This area distinguishes whether a sound pattern is moving or stationary.