October 22, 2025 – A new breakthrough by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) changes the understanding of how attention works in the brain, suggesting that the auditory cortex is deeply in synch with behavior. 

In the paper published in Scientific Advances, researchers proved that instead of acting like a simple volume knob that amplifies important sounds, attention acts more like an adaptive filter, reshaping how neurons communicate and improving their efficiency. 

The researchers found that when engaged in a task, neurons in the brain’s auditory cortex exhibit large bursts of activity that aren’t caused directly by sounds. Instead, these smaller ‘ticks’ are tied to specific moments, each neuron ticking at a different moment during task performance. 

The study, led by Prof. Israel Nelken from HU’s Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) and the Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, is based on the Ph.D. research of Ana Polterovich. 

“Our results show that the brain doesn’t just react to sounds—it shapes how they’re represented, depending on what we’re doing,” said Prof. Nelken. “When we’re engaged in a task, the auditory cortex listens more efficiently to the sounds that occur in that task.” 

What’s New 

Until now, scientists knew that attention improves how we perceive sounds—but how the brain achieves this was unclear. This study reveals that the brain doesn’t simply boost its response to sounds; it uses the timing and demands of behavior to prepare for the incoming sounds. In other words, the auditory system tunes itself in real time. 

Computer modeling by the team showed how this happens: the timing of activity that occurs during task engagement temporarily damps certain neural connections, creating clearer, more informative patterns of activity during sound presentations. 

By uncovering this mechanism, the team provides new insight into one of neuroscience’s big questions: how our brains make sense of an overwhelming world of sensations. 

Acknowledgements 

The work is supported by the Advanced ERC Grant project RATLAND. 

The research paper titled “Task-related activity in auditory cortex enhances sound representation” is now available in Science Advances and can be accessed here.

Researchers:

Ana Polterovich1,2, Maciej M. Jankowski1,2,3, Johannes Niediek1,2,4, Alex Kazakov1,2, Israel Nelken1,2

Institutions:

  1. Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  2. Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  3. BioTechMed Center, Multimedia Systems Department, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, Gdansk University of Technology
  4. Machine Learning Group, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany