Brodmann areas 41 and 42

Brodmann areas 41 and 42 are parts of the primary auditory cortex.

Brodmann area 41 is also known as the anterior transverse temporal area 41 (H). It is a cytoarchitectonic division of the cerebral cortex occupying the anterior transverse temporal gyrus (H) in the bank of the lateral sulcus on the dorsal surface of the temporal lobe. Brodmann area 41 is bounded medially by the parainsular area 52 (H) and laterally by the posterior transverse temporal area 42 (H) (Brodmann-1909).

Brodmann area 42 is also known as the posterior transverse temporal area 42 (H), and is also a subdivision of the temporal lobe. Brodmann area 42 is bounded medially by the anterior transverse temporal area 41 (H) and laterally by the superior temporal area 22 (Brodmann-1909).

Function
Brodmann areas 41 and 42 are parts of the primary auditory cortex. This is the first cortical destination of auditory information stemming from the thalamus. Neural activity in this brain part corresponds most strongly with the objective physical properties of a sound.