Lambelin Sarah, Jacques Corentin, Colnat-Coulbois Sophie, Maillard Louis, Jonas Jacques
Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Service de Neurologie, F-54000, Nancy, France.
Université de Lorraine, CNRS, IMoPA, F-54000, Nancy, France.
Brain Stimul. 2025 Jul-Aug;18(4):1156-1161. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2025.05.137. Epub 2025 May 31.
Hemispheric asymmetry is a fundamental feature of the human brain. Numerous studies on auditory functions have shown both structural and functional differences between the left and right auditory cortex in the superior temporal gyrus (STG). However, evidence for this asymmetry using direct electrical stimulation (DES) - a powerful method to causally inform about the localization of human brain function - is surprisingly weak.
OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: To provide a comprehensive report of auditory effects elicited by the stimulation of the left and right STG.
We reported the probability of occurrence of auditory effects (number of auditory hallucinations or illusions out of the total number of stimulations) as a function of hemispheres and anatomical regions in a large sample of patients (n = 109).
We showed that the probability of eliciting positive auditory effects is maximal in and around the primary auditory cortex, with a right hemispheric dominance.
Our results show that the right auditory cortex has a specific structural and functional organization, as early as the primary auditory cortex, leading to a higher proportion of evoked auditory effects. Such early asymmetry in cortical hierarchy may represent a unique feature of the auditory cortex compared to other sensory cortices.
半球不对称是人类大脑的一个基本特征。众多关于听觉功能的研究表明，颞上回（STG）的左右听觉皮层在结构和功能上均存在差异。然而，使用直接电刺激（DES）——一种用于因果性确定人类脑功能定位的强大方法——来证明这种不对称性的证据却出奇地少。
目的/假设：全面报告刺激左右颞上回所引发的听觉效应。
我们报告了在大量患者样本（n = 109）中，听觉效应出现的概率（听觉幻觉或错觉的数量占总刺激次数的比例）与半球及解剖区域的关系。
我们发现，引发正向听觉效应的概率在初级听觉皮层及其周围区域最高，且右侧半球占优势。
我们的结果表明，早在初级听觉皮层，右侧听觉皮层就具有特定的结构和功能组织，从而导致诱发听觉效应的比例更高。与其他感觉皮层相比，这种皮层层级的早期不对称可能代表了听觉皮层的独特特征。
