Research overview: tonotopic organization of the feline auditory cortex

The cat auditory cortex has been a foundational model for understanding how the brain represents sound. This overview surveys its tonotopic organization, in which neurons are arranged according to the frequencies they prefer, mirroring the layout of the cochlea. Decades of recording in the cat have mapped these frequency gradients and revealed how cortical areas process pitch, intensity, and location. The survey relates this central organization to the cat's behavioral hearing abilities, including its broad range and sharp localization. Because so much general knowledge of mammalian auditory cortex derives from feline studies, the cat occupies a special place in hearing neuroscience. Understanding cortical tonotopy connects the inner-ear encoding of sound to perception and behavior, showing how the wide and high-reaching feline audiogram is mirrored and refined in the brain that interprets it during hunting and communication.