Our brains have evolved a highly-sophisticated auditory system for the analysis of sounds, which underlies more complicated abilities such as speech perception. We currently know very little about the organization of human auditory cortex at the interface between the auditory inputs from the peripheral sensory receptors in the ear and the higher-level language systems of the brain. Understanding the nature of the inputs to higher-level speech perception systems is critical to understanding what kind of information is ultimately used in speech perception and how this information is extracted computationally. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Alyssa Brewer and colleagues Dr. Gregory Hickok and Dr. Kourosh Saberi will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the functional organization of the human auditory cortex with a level of detail that has not previously been achieved. They will then use these measurements to examine how cortical responses to particular types of speech and speech-related stimuli relate to these lower-level cortical regions. This study will thus provide the first systematic measurements of the human speech perception system from the fundamental organization of auditory cortex to cortical speech representations.
Acquired and developmental disorders of hearing, speech and language affect millions of individuals. The knowledge gained from this study will give us a better understanding of the organization and function of these systems, which will have clinical benefits for the treatment of both peripheral auditory diseases and central language disorders. The research team will continue to share the results through "Brain Day" programs in the local K-8 elementary schools to bring the excitement of neuroscience research to the local communities. Furthermore, PI Brewer has developed ongoing "Brilliant Brain" workshops with Girls Inc., which include special presentations and summer workshops on the organization, function, and diseases of the brain. Girls Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides research and STEM-based experiences to girls ages 6-18 across the U.S. and Canada designed to help them navigate gender, economic, and social barriers. Finally, this study incorporates training of new neuroscientists at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels for whom these studies will serve as a foundation of neuroscience research.
