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 Functional anatomy and plasticity of auditory cortex

 Functional anatomy of auditory cortex

(Eike Budinger)

One of the basic problems in neuroscience is the relationship between the structure and function of the brain. In course of this project, we study this issue using the mammalian auditory system, and in particular its highest level - the auditory cortex -, as the model.

Generally, we investigate (i) the cyto-, fiber-, and chemoarchitecture of this brain region, using several standard histochemical as well as sensitive immunological staining methods, and (ii) the intrinsic and extrinsic connections of the auditory cortical fields and their functional domains by means of anterograde and retrograde tracing techniques. We combine these anatomical techniques with electrophysiological, pharmacological and imaging methods in order to disentangle the structure-function-relationships of the auditory cortex in several mammalian species (Mongolian gerbil, house mouse, rat, macaque monkey).

Currently we work on:

  • the connectivity and function of neuronal maps within the auditory cortex
  • the functional anatomical organization of the auditory thalamo-cortico-thalamic system (Katja Saldeitis)
  • anatomical and functional interactions between the auditory cortex and other sensory and non-sensory brain areas (Julia Henschke)
  • hemispheric asymmetries of the auditory cortex at cellular, columnar, laminar and areal levels
  • the Golgi structure of the auditory pathway


Fig.: Frequency-specific connections between primary auditory cortex (AI) and medial geniculate body after simultaneous injections of different fluorescent tracers (FDA and TMRDA) into the high- and low-frequency representation areas of AI, visualized by confocal meander laser scanning microscopy.

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