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Rethinking hierarchy: the auditory system as an integrated cortical-subcortical network.

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Τίτλος: Rethinking hierarchy: the auditory system as an integrated cortical-subcortical network.
Συγγραφείς: Lohse M; Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK., Willmore BDB; Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK., King AJ; Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. andrew.king@dpag.ox.ac.uk.
Πηγή: Nature reviews. Neuroscience [Nat Rev Neurosci] 2026 Jul; Vol. 27 (7), pp. 465-480. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 11.
Τύπος έκδοσης: Journal Article; Review
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: Nature Pub. Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100962781 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-0048 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1471003X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Nat Rev Neurosci Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: London, UK : Nature Pub. Group
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): Auditory Pathways*/physiology , Auditory Cortex*/physiology , Auditory Perception*/physiology , Nerve Net*/physiology, Humans ; Animals
Περίληψη: Mammalian sensory systems are traditionally viewed as hierarchical pathways in which subcortical nuclei relay signals from peripheral receptors to the cortex, where sensory information is contextualized for perception and behaviour. However, the auditory pathway contains an unusually large number of anatomically complex, recurrently connected subcortical nuclei that transmit heavily pre-processed information to the cortex. Emerging evidence shows that the auditory system functions as an integrated cortical-subcortical network that is heavily influenced by non-auditory inputs and extensive bidirectional connectivity at nearly all levels. Subcortical structures are not passive relays but active participants in computations traditionally attributed to cortex, including adaptive coding of sound statistics, multisensory integration, encoding of behavioural relevance and action, and learning. Although certain transformations occur hierarchically - such as brainstem spatial processing - sensitivity to most sound features forms a continuum across the auditory pathway, with modulation by other sensory, motor and cognitive systems at every stage. The degree of subcortical pre-processing may explain why emergent cortical properties are harder to identify in audition than in vision, in which cortical and subcortical receptive field properties are more distinct. This distributed circuit organization opens new avenues for understanding how the brain constructs perception and guides behaviour from the fusion of sensory evidence and contextual knowledge.
(© 2026. Springer Nature Limited.)
Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
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Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260511 Date Completed: 20260624 Latest Revision: 20260624
Update Code: 20260625
DOI: 10.1038/s41583-026-01045-1
PMID: 42115343
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE
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ISSN:1471-0048
DOI:10.1038/s41583-026-01045-1