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An all-in-one-volume approach to the structure and function of the central auditory system of mammals, this richly illustrated book provides a concise overview of the subject in the first chapter, followed by an in-depth treatment of all levels of the central auditory pathway in the next four chapters. The authors expertly integrate general aspects of sound processing at a given level of the system with special topics relevant to that level. The emphasis shifts from a cellular level of auditory analysis at the first brain centre to the interplay of fifteen centres in a maze of connecting loops using various neurotransmitters, to the organisation of topographic maps of neuronal responses in the midbrain, to questions of how a highly parallel and hierarchical system of distributed thalamic and cortical information channels can function so that, finally, sounds may be perceived and recognized. This book is intended for both the researcher who needs a quick reference, and the expert with a more specialized and detailed interest in the subject.