prenatal development of auditory system

["R. Parncutt" <psa03@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Can someone direct me to recent work on prenatal development of the auditory
system? I need to find out what is known about the state of any/all extant
auditory nuclei between the auditory nerve and the auditory cortex at 20
WEEKS gestational age. What is functioning at that stage, and how well?

A related question: Is the inferior colliculus capable of processing
(encoding, storing, recognizing) auditory patterns? If so, might it be able
to perform that function at 20 weeks, before the auditory cortex becomes
connected to the rest of the auditory pathway?

I'd be grateful for recent references.
_____________________________________________________________________
Richard Parncutt, Lecturer in Psychology of Music and Psychoacoustics,
Unit for the Study of Musical Skill and Development, Keele University.
Post: Dept of Psychology, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, GB.
Tel: 01782 583392 (w),01782 719747 (h). Email: r.parncutt@keele.ac.uk.
Fax: +44 1782 583387. URL: http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ps/rpbiog.htm.