Attention to natural auditory signals

•Attention to natural stimuli modifies neural activity in several auditory regions.•The loci of attention-related modulation depend on stimuli and task demands.•The variability of natural stimuli over time leads to variable attention effects.•Animal models allow for more invasive studies on the neural mechanisms of attention.•Songbirds are an excellent animal model for auditory attention to natural stimuli.

The challenge of understanding how the brain processes natural signals is compounded by the fact that such signals are often tied closely to specific natural behaviors and natural environments. This added complexity is especially true for auditory communication signals that can carry information at multiple hierarchical levels, and often occur in the context of other competing communication signals. Selective attention provides a mechanism to focus processing resources on specific components of auditory signals, and simultaneously suppress responses to unwanted signals or noise. Although selective auditory attention has been well-studied behaviorally, very little is known about how selective auditory attention shapes the processing on natural auditory signals, and how the mechanisms of auditory attention are implemented in single neurons or neural circuits. Here we review the role of selective attention in modulating auditory responses to complex natural stimuli in humans. We then suggest how the current understanding can be applied to the study of selective auditory attention in the context natural signal processing at the level of single neurons and populations in animal models amenable to invasive neuroscience techniques.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “Communication Sounds and the Brain: New Directions and Perspectives”.