This account of the auditory cortex brings together research in the various disciplines of neuroscience. Its purpose is to give the reader an adequate background for understanding the mechanisms of normal auditory cortical function and cortical deafness. It is designed to inform readers with a variety of backgrouds, including physiologists, anatomists, psychologists and neurologists. To this end the terminology needed to express ideas about auditory cortical structure and function is related to a chapter in which methodology is stressed.

Scientific investigations of a descriptive nature involve in- creasingly refined definitions of a problem. An idea is trans- formed after initial experiments into a working hypothesis that has a number of testable consequences. Rarely in the neurosci- ences do such tests completely falsify the hypothesis; more commonly they lead to a modified, more general hypothesis. One could argue that in order to define a scientific problem, one must first understand it. This monograph is an attempt to draw together knowledge and understanding from various disciplines, collected from studies carried out...

This work documents various studies on hearing in marsupials and relates this information to their vocal behaviour. The organization of the brain auditory pathways of marsupials is compared with those of eutherian mammals and related to the structure of the periphery. The information on marsupials provides insight into the development of the brain and hearing in other mammals.

This monograph evolved from years of research into the auditory pathway and hearing of many species of marsupials. Its function is to give biologists, in par ticular neurobiologists, a broad description and review of what is known of the auditory sensory capacities and processing mechanisms in this large order of mammals. My initial interest in marsupials developed from collaborative work with Dr. Richard Gates at Monash and Melbourne Universities in the 1970s and by curiosity as to whether concepts about the auditory system was stimulated stemming from experiments mainly on domestic cats...

In contrast to the level of interest which is paid to the orga nization of meetings about the structure and function of the audi tory periphery, the central auditory system has received little attention in the last several years. However, much recent data accu mulated during this period has provided auditory physiologists with new ideas about the function of the central auditory system. The successful exploration of new anatomical tracing techniques (triti ated aminoacids, horseradish peroxidase, 2-deoxyglucose) together with the collection of electrophysiological data obtained with intra...

Scientific investigations of a descriptive nature involve in- creasingly refined definitions of a problem. An idea is trans- formed after initial experiments into a working hypothesis that has a number of testable consequences. Rarely in the neurosci- ences do such tests completely falsify the hypothesis; more commonly they lead to a modified, more general hypothesis. One could argue that in order to define a scientific problem, one must first understand it. This monograph is an attempt to draw together knowledge and understanding from various disciplines, collected from studies carried out...