Auditory map plasticity: diversity in causes and consequences

- Cortical maps of different stimulus and response aspects undergo plastic changes.
- Expression and mechanisms of different plastic processes are discussed.
- Functional interpretations of map plasticity in terms of behavioral, learning, and cognitive aspects have progressed but remain unsettled.

Auditory cortical maps have been a long-standing focus of studies that assess the expression, mechanisms, and consequences of sensory plasticity. Here we discuss recent progress in understanding how auditory experience transforms spatially organized sound representations at higher levels of the central auditory pathways. New insights into the mechanisms underlying map changes have been achieved and more refined interpretations of various map plasticity effects and their consequences in terms of behavioral corollaries and learning as well as other cognitive aspects have been offered. The systematic organizational principles of cortical sound processing remain a key aspect in studying and interpreting the role of plasticity in hearing.