Dr C Sumner
Applications accepted all year round
About the Project
PhD in Auditory Neuroscience at the MRC Institute of Hearing Research, Nottingham
Neural correlates of auditory perception: spectral and temporal processing
with Dr Chris Sumner*
*Direct correspondence to: [Email Address Removed]
This project aims to understand how the input from the ear is transformed by neurons in the central auditory system. In particular, it is concerned with how central neurons process and integrate information across frequency and time, to build our perception of complex sounds.
Our inner ear (cochlea) breaks sound down into its component parts in frequency and time. From this input, our brain is able to construct a view of the auditory scene; it enables us to either pick out individual instruments in an orchestra or follow the grand theme of the music being played. The key challenge in understanding hearing is to understand how the conscious perception of a sound relates to the pattern of neural spikes the sound creates within the brain. This question is of great clinical relevance, because understanding the relation between brain activity and perception will help to understand how perception fails when brain activity is disrupted. This project aims to investigate how the brain processes the spectro-temporal information provided by the cochlea and how this influences our perception of complex sounds.
State-of-the-art electrophysiological techniques will allow us to record from separate groups of neurons in the mammalian auditory system. The project will be tailored to the particular background of the candidate. For a candidate with strong practical and laboratory skills, it could be oriented around relating neural responses and perceptions during auditory listening tasks involving spectro-temporal processing [1]. Alternatively, for a candidate with good computational skills, it could focus on building detailed computational models of neurons, characterising their response patterns to large dictionaries of complex sounds [2].
The post offers an introduction to state-of-the-art scientific methods in a highly interactive and collegial research environment. Enquiries are welcome from anyone with a first- or upper second-class degree in a relevant discipline, such as neuroscience or psychology, or, equally, from more mathematical backgrounds such as physics, maths or engineering.
[1] Alves-Pinto et al. (2010). Forward masking estimated by signal detection theory analysis of neuronal responses in primary auditory cortex. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 11:477-94.
[2] Fairhall (2014). The receptive field is dead. Long live the receptive field? Curr Opin Neurobiol 25:ix-xii
Subject areas for search:
Subject areas for search:
Biological & Medical Sciences: Medical/Clinical Sciences, Neuroscience/Neurology, Psychology/Psychiatry;
Engineering: Acoustics, Biomedical Engineering; Maths & Computing: Applied mathematics, Data analysis;
Physical Sciences: Applied Physics;