Grant: Project Grant

Our research program focuses on the neural substrates that allow humans to perceive and understand complex patterns of sound, such as speech and music. Previous work has focused on cortical networks important for auditory cognition, but we wish to focus on the interactions between the cortex and the many subcortical structures that are a critical part of the circuitry. To do so we will use high-field functional magnetic resonance imaging which allows much greater visualization of the small subcortical nuclei than is possible with conventional imaging. We will study the processes by which the auditory nervous system is able to predict how patterns of sound evolve over time. We will test the hypothesis that this ability emerges from the interaction between cortical and subcortical systems. This knowledge will allow us to develop a better fundamental understanding of how the auditory system works, which has important implications for many clinical conditions in which audition is affected, and also contributes the necessary neuroscience knowledge that informs the development of treatments in which music is used as part of the intervention.