Auditory scene analysis & predictive coding

Auditory neuroscience is increasingly focused on understanding how the brain organizes complex acoustic environments into meaningful perceptual objects—a process known as auditory scene analysis. This field investigates how listeners distinguish and track multiple sound sources, such as voices or instruments, in situations where sensory input is ambiguous or rapidly changing. Prominent theories now suggest that predictive coding—a hierarchical computational principle where the brain constantly generates and updates predictions about sensory inputs—plays a critical role in explaining the neural mechanisms underlying auditory scene analysis. However, important questions remain about how predictive coding interacts with the dynamic processes that enable auditory object formation and segregation.

Recent research has provided compelling evidence linking predictive coding to different stages of auditory scene analysis. Neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies indicate that prediction errors and top-down modulation contribute significantly to the parsing of auditory input, from detecting unexpected sounds to stream segregation in complex acoustic scenes. Computational models increasingly address how these predictions may guide attentional resources or enhance perceptual stability in noisy contexts. Yet, the field continues to debate the extent to which predictive coding accounts for the full range of auditory scene analysis phenomena, and more research is needed to clarify their interaction across development, attention, and pathology.

This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of the interplay between auditory scene analysis and predictive coding. We seek to bring together theoretical, computational, and empirical approaches that clarify how predictions shape perceptual organization of sounds and reveal the underlying neural and cognitive mechanisms. Submissions addressing open questions, conflicting findings, and innovative methods are particularly encouraged.

To gather further insights in this multidisciplinary area, we welcome articles that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

o Neural representations and dynamics of auditory scene analysis

o Theories and models of predictive coding in auditory perception

o The impact of attention and learning on predictive mechanisms in auditory processing

o Psychophysical and behavioral investigations of stream segregation and object perception

o Cross-species and developmental perspectives on predictive auditory processing

o Clinical implications for auditory scene analysis and predictive coding dysfunction in neuropsychiatric disorders