1. HST 722 / 9.044 “Brain Mechanisms in Hearing and Speech” Course Introduction Course Web Site (explains everything): http://web.mit.edu/hst.722/www/index.html An advanced course covering anatomical, physiological, behavioral, and computational studies of the central nervous system relevant to speech and hearing. Students learn primarily by discussions of scientific papers on topics of current interest. A topic usually consists of one lecture & two class periods devoted to discussions of papers. Grade and Assignments: –Paper presentations, discussion leading and class participation, 65% –Written & oral assignments associated with Student-chosen Topics, 35%

2. Course Topics Dorsal cochlear nucleus: Signal processing, multisensory integration and plasticity (Hancock) Quantitative approaches to the study of neural coding (Delgutte) Speech motor control (Guenther) Descending Systems (Brown) Neuroimaging correlates of human auditory behavior / multisensory integration (Melcher) Student Topics: Initial Presentations Language processing I: Cortical representation (Caplan) Language processing II: Auditory Processing Disorders (Melcher and others) Student Topics: Final Presentations

3. Most auditory nuclei are located near dorsal surface of brainstem Aitkin (1986) Auditory Structures 8N: 8 th Nerve CN: Cochlear Nucleus LL: Lateral Lemniscus IC: Inferior Colliculus SC: Superior Colliculus ICO: Commissure of IC BIC: Brachium of IC MGB: Medial Geniculate Body AI: Primary Auditory Cortex Other Structures ICM: Cerebellum 5N; Trigeminal Nerve Cat

4. The ascending auditory pathway Descending pathway roughly parallels ascending pathway

5. N PVCN N I.C. Somatosensory T D ? ? granule giant t fusiform auditory nerve stellate golgi cartwheel vertical Dorsal cochlear nucleus: Signal processing, multisensory integration and plasticity (Hancock) Complex circuitry of the Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus: DCN Layers: I II III (IV,V)

6. 020406080100 0 500 1000 020406080100 0 10 20 30 Intensity (dB SPL) Discharge rate (sp/sec) Intensity DL (dB) Auditory-nerve fiber Hypothetical neuron verifying Weber’s law Quantitative methods for studies of neural coding (Delgutte) Signal detection theory allows rigorous comparisons between neurophysiological and psychophysical data

7. Descending Systems (Brown) From Schofield and Coomes (2005)

8. Speech motor control (Guenther)

9. Neuroimaging correlates of human auditory behavior (Melcher) From Petrides and Pandya (1988)

10. Right Left Response Increase to Music Response Decrease Laterobasal Superficial Centromedial Amygdala Subregions Neuroimaging correlates of human auditory behavior (Melcher) From Ball et al. (2007)

12. Language processing I: Cortical representation (Caplan) From Caplan and Gould (2003)

13. Student Topics Initial Presentations (about mid-way through the course) –Each student chooses, writes up (about 6 pages), and defends orally (10 min. presentation) a topic germane to hearing / speech –Propose 3-4 papers on this topic that could be discussed at the Final Presentations –We will vote on which several topics to choose for the Final Presentations Final Presentations (at end of the course) –Each winning topic is presented by a group of students –The group presents the topic and leads the discussion of the papers Example Student Topics have been Absolute Pitch, Auditory Short-Term Memory, A Gene for Speech?, and Auditory Learning in Songbirds

14. Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus Papers Discussed 9/13: 1. May BJ. Role of the dorsal cochlear nucleus in the sound localization behavior of cats. Hear Res 148: 74-87 (2000). 2. Young ED, Spirou GA, Rice JJ, Voigt HF. Neural organization and responses to complex stimuli in the dorsal cochlear nucleus. Phil Trans Roy Soc London B 336:407-413 (1992) 3. Kanold PO, Young ED. Proprioceptive information from the pinna provides somatosensory input to cat dorsal cochlear nucleus. J Neurosci 21: 7848-7858 (2001). Discussed 9/18: 4. Tzounopoulos T, Kim Y, Oertel D, Trussell LO. Cell-specific, spike timing- dependent plasticities in the dorsal cochlear nucleus. Nat Neurosci 7:719-725 (2004). 5. Bell CC. Memory-based expectations in electrosensory systems. Curr Opin Neurobiol 11: 481-487, 2001. 6. Levine RA. Somatic (craniocervical) tinnitus and the Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus hypothesis. Am J Otolaryngol. 20:351-362 (1999)