Brain oscillations underlying sensory binding and perception
Just how is information represented in the brain? We're all used to rate codes---a neuron fires when it sees something that excites it. The rate of firing is proportional to how good a match the input is to to the neuron's model. But there is strong evidence that higher-level concepts are encoded with some sort of oscillator, perhaps around 40Hz. Bernhard will be talking about how MEG and EEG can be used to measure this activity. Do brain oscillations explain how we group sounds as we parse the auditory world?
Who: Bernhard Ross (Rotman Research Institute in Toronto)
When: Friday, February 22, 2013 at 1:15PM
What: Brain oscillations underlying sensory binding and perception.
Where: CCRMA Seminar Room, Top Floor at the Knoll
Why: Do oscillators synchronize the brain????
Bring your favorite auditory scene analysis device to CCRMA and we'll talk about how it works!!!
- Malcolm
Title: Brain oscillations underlying sensory binding and perception.
Bernhard Ross (Rotman Research Institute in Toronto)
Abstract:
Perception requires integration and interpretation of the sensory input. One current model for a brain mechanism of binding sensory information into an object is that common neural oscillations establish dynamically neural networks: Neurons, which oscillates together work together and identify an object out of a complex sensory scene. Neural oscillations at gamma frequencies, around 40 Hz, play an important role for sensory binding. The aim of this talk is to demonstrate the measurement of gamma oscillations in humans using EEG or MEG. The main experimental approach is using 40-Hz amplitude modulation of sound to synchronize brain oscillations with the sensory stimuli.
Bio:
Bernhard Ross is the director of the laboratory for magnetoencephalography at the Rotman research Institute in Toronto and an associate professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. He received his basic education in electrical engineering and a Ph.D in medical sciences. He was involved in the development of objective diagnostic measures of hearing function in clinical applications and he conducted pioneering work in developing the method of magnetoencephalography. Currently his research examines central brain function of auditory processing for understanding how the brain interprets sound information for conscious perception and how those auditory functions change during aging or as the effect of brain injury and disease.