Authors:

Abstract

In an effort to further explore the role of the right hemisphere in auditory processing, this study utilized brain event-related potentials (ERPs) and standardized low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) in order to localize electrical brain activity of complex tone processing. Participants engaged in a diotic pitch discrimination task while ERP components were recorded from 28 electrodes on the scalp. ERPs were analyzed via individual/group average area measurements and were submitted to sLORETA for neural source localization. Results showed stronger right vs. left hemisphere activation to complex tone processing that was localized to regions of the auditory cortex. Findings support the notion that auditory cortical regions in the right hemisphere may be involved in music processing. Moreover, these findings indicate that source localization methods may be a good approach to study the complex nature of brain electrical activity during cognitive processing.

Faculty Sponsor: Ralf Greenwald, Ph.D.

Keywords: hemispheric asymmetry, spectral processing, sLORETA, ERP, P300