The auditory cortex is a network of areas in the part of the brain that receives inputs from the subcortical auditory pathways in the brainstem and thalamus through an elaborate network of intrinsic and extrinsic connections the auditory cortex is thought to bring about the conscious perception of sound and provide a basis for the comprehension and production of meaningful utterances. Auditory cortex has traditionally been subdivided into primary a1 secondary a2 and tertiary a3 areas though nowadays this terminology has been replaced by core belt and parabelt respectively here are two illustrations without and with the context of the surrounding cortex table 25 auditory cortex . The auditory cortex provides the temporal and spatial frames of reference for the auditory data that it receives in other words it is sensitive to aspects of sound more complex than frequency for instance there are neurons that react only when a sound starts or stops read more