Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Jun;15(6):355-66.
doi: 10.1038/nrn3731.

Neural processing of natural sounds

Frédéric E Theunissen  1 , Julie E Elie  1
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Neural processing of natural sounds

Frédéric E Theunissen et al. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2014 Jun.
Free article

Abstract

We might be forced to listen to a high-frequency tone at our audiologist's office or we might enjoy falling asleep with a white-noise machine, but the sounds that really matter to us are the voices of our companions or music from our favourite radio station. The auditory system has evolved to process behaviourally relevant natural sounds. Research has shown not only that our brain is optimized for natural hearing tasks but also that using natural sounds to probe the auditory system is the best way to understand the neural computations that enable us to comprehend speech or appreciate music.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. PLoS Comput Biol. 2013;9(3):e1002942 - PubMed
    1. J Neurophysiol. 2003 Jan;89(1):472-87 - PubMed
    1. Nature. 1999 Jan 14;397(6715):154-7 - PubMed
    1. Hear Res. 2009 Jun;252(1-2):21-8 - PubMed
    1. PLoS One. 2011 Jan 11;6(1):e16104 - PubMed