Auditory processing that leads to conscious perception: a unique window to central auditory processing opened by the mismatch negativity and related responses.

In this review, we will present a model of brain events leading to conscious perception in audition. This represents an updated version of Näätänen's previous model of automatic and attentive central auditory processing. This revised model is mainly based on the mismatch negativity (MMN) and N1 indices of automatic processing, the processing negativity (PN) index of selective attention, and their magnetoencephalographic (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) equivalents. Special attention is paid to determining the neural processes that might underlie conscious perception and the borderline between automatic and attention-dependent processes in audition.