The auditory cortex is the highest, largely unimodal, center of the auditory system in the brain of mammals, including humans. However, its anatomy and, above all, its function are not yet fully understood, despite of considerable advances in experimental techniques and methodologies and extensive experimental efforts. Furthermore, although there is a growing mutual appreciation of human and non-human research results, this needs to be improved to further progress towards a more general and detailed picture of the functioning of the auditory cortex. From September 13-17, 2003, the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (IfN) Magdeburg will host an International Conference on Auditory Cortex, with the clear emphasis given by its subtitle: towards a synthesis of human and animal research. The meeting intends to bring together scientists working in the fields of human auditory cortex and the auditory cortices of animals to foster a more profound mutual understanding of the concepts, approaches, techniques, and findings of each field. As knowledge and expertise in both fields is advancing rapidly, we feel the urgent need for a gathering of scientists from both fields and expect that this conference will contribute significantly towards bridging this currently existing gap between human and non-human research. The conference is organized into three thematic topics which cover a wide range of research performed in both fields: 1. Auditory Cortical Areas and Their Functions 2. Coding of Sounds 3. Plasticity, Learning, and Cognition We believe that these topics provide a profound basis for interesting and lively discussions. The general outline of the meeting is determined by the intention to have as much interaction as possible among scientists from both research fields. Therefore, the core of the meeting will be provided by extended lectures of 35 speakers. All of them are leading experts in their field of research and have been asked to not only report about their latest findings but also to put them in the main context of the meeting, so to provide a platform for a further discussion about the impact of their results on a general understanding of the auditory cortex. The podium sessions are complemented by four poster sessions that give room to more detailed presentations of further studies and their discussion. Three social events, a conference dinner a guided sightseeing tour to the medieval towns of Quedlinburg or of Wernigerode, and a barbecue party will give further possibilities for lively discussions among participants