Spatial attention modulates activity in a posterior “where” auditory pathway

Selectively listening to a single location in space modulates both the behavioral and electrophysiological responses to auditory stimuli presented at that location. Transient attention oriented in cue-target or target-target paradigms results in several modulations of the auditory event-related potential known as the Nd1, Nd2, and Nd3. By employing electrical source analysis we tested the hypothesis that the earliest component (the Nd1) reflects modulation of neurons in parietal rather than auditory cortex. It was found that the most likely sources of the Nd1 modulation were posterior to primary auditory cortex within or near the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ). This location is within the putative auditory “where” pathway.