Grant: Foundation Grant

<html> <body> <p>Understanding the functional and structural organization of the human auditory nervous system is the key to understanding some of the most remarkable and complex perceptual, motor, and cognitive abilities of the human mind. Perceiving speech or music, learning to speak a new language, or to play a musical instrument require coordination of multiple cortical and subcortical networks that are subject to plastic modification via training. Our lab has been at the forefront of research on these topics for many years, taking advantage of advanced neuroimaging techniques to characterize the structural and functional organization of the auditory cortical system and its interactions with broader brain networks. Importantly, we integrate neuroimaging variables with specific behavioral measures, allowing us to develop models of sensory-motor processing that emphasize the link between individual neural diversity and differences in performance, skill, or learning potential.<br> <br> The global aim of our research program over the next seven years is to identify how the intrinsic structural and functional organization of the auditory cortex, as well as its connectivity and interactions with cortical and subcortical structures, mediates perceptual and motor abilities, learning and plasticity. We will address the key question of how modulations within and across these networks are related to expertise, and how they change with training. We will study not only experience-dependent plasticity in functional and anatomical properties of the relevant brain networks, but also how these properties may serve as markers of individual predispositions in relation to auditory-motor skills or learning potential. We also examine the role of reward as a modulator of brain activity during learning, and the influence of age of acquisition on sensory-motor skills.<br> <br> We have assembled a remarkable team with expertise in sophisticated neuroimaging tools to measure functional responses (using fMRI and MEG), and structural features of both gray matter (concentration, cortical thickness), and white matter (diffusivity and myelination indices). Measuring multiple aspects of behavior, function and anatomy, and their interrelationships is critical to understanding the underlying processes involved. Multivariate approaches will be used to link behavioral data to functional and anatomical data, while pattern classification will be used to identify relevant spatially distributed features. Moving forward, we will develop methods to integrate patterns of anatomical and functional network properties, and relate them to behavioral performance. These innovative tools will allow us to develop a more nuanced understanding of the interactions between anatomical and functional features, and their relation to learning.<br> <br> The significance of this work lies in its contribution to auditory cognitive neuroscience. Our focus is on the basic science; but achieving a greater knowledge of these processes will provide essential insights into their dysfunction in aging or disease, with strong implications for pedagogy and rehabilitation. A significant goal of our work is to train young researchers in this interdisciplinary domain to do the best possible science, armed with which they will not only develop their own research areas, but importantly, apply the knowledge in clinical and related domains, as has already been the case with many of our trainees over the years.</p> </body> </html>