A Theory of Neural Auditory Space

Abstract

The topographical projection of sensory epithelia onto central neural structures is one of the most striking design features of the brain. This type of neuronal connectivity gives rise to the “maps” of the retina, cochlea and body surface in the central nervous system. Numerous studies have addressed themselves to the developmental mechanisms underlying the formation of topographical projections. Partly because of these trends, there has been relatively little discussioon of mapping as a physiological phenomenon rather than as an anatomical one. To the extent that the organization of a sensory representation strictly reflects the brain’s architectural requirements, including such factors as simple physical packing and routing and various embryological rules, questions about mapping reduce to those about the underlying anatomical projection; in this case, a physiological map is a byproduct of the brain’s architectural design.