Sound localization in the human brain: neuromagnetic observations

Sound location processing in the human auditory cortex was studied with mag netoencephalography (MEG) by producing spatial stimuli using a modern stimu lus generation methodology utilizing head-related transfer functions (HRTFs ). The stimulus set comprised wideband noise bursts filtered through HRTFs in order to produce natural spatial sounds. Neuromagnetic responses for sti muli representing eight equally spaced sound source directions in the azimu thal plane were measured from 10 subjects. The most prominent response, the cortically generated Nlm, was investigated above the left and right hemisp here. We found, firstly, that the HRTF-based stimuli presented from differe nt directions elicited contralaterally prominent Nlm responses. Secondly, w e found that cortical activity reflecting the processing of spatial sound s timuli was more pronounced in the right than in the left hemisphere. NeuroR eport 11:1535-1538 (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.