Book excerpt: In the last two decades, the ever increasing pace of auditory research has generated an undreamed of knowledge about the molecular and cellular bases of hearing, the physiopathology of hearing loss, the activity of the brain evoked by sounds, and the possibilities of imaginative strategies to restore hearing. The aim of this Research Topic is to contribute to the development of auditory neuroscience by placing in an up-to-date morphological context some of the latest developments in the field. This Research Topic for Frontiers in Neuroanatomy will consist of peer-reviewed articles dealing with the development, evolution, function and plasticity of the auditory system through a broad range of anatomical approaches. Articles combining neuroanatomy with other disciplines, such as molecular biology, genetics, physiology, pharmacology, behavior, neuroimaging, clinical medicine or bioinformatics, will be considered for publication insofar as they contribute to the understanding of the structure of the auditory regions of the central nervous system. The authors of the papers published in this Research Topic will be invited to present and discuss their results during a symposium organized by the Instituto de Neurociencias of Castilla y León (INCyL), to be held in Salamanca, Spain, in 2010.