Abstract
In this talk, I will trace threads through our recent work, starting with how neurophysiological measures of sound musical pitch and vowels vary amongst individuals and according to musical and linguistic expertise. I will discuss results linking the quality of basic sound encoding to important functions like understanding speech in noisy conditions, discuss how brain states (like sleep) change brain responses, and describe our explorations of how the auditory system can be harnessed to influence brain state and memory consolidation. I will also describe a few tools our lab has developed that are 'open science', in the hopes that they will be useful to the community.
Short Bio
I am Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Concordia University, in Montreal, Canada. I received a Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 2016 from McGill University (Prof. Robert Zatorre), an M.Sc. (Research) in Brain and Cognitive Science in 2009 from the University of Amsterdam, and a B.Sc. (Honours) in Psychology from the University of Ottawa in 2006. Between 2006 and 2009 I worked as a Human Behaviour and Performance specialist and trainer at the European Space Agency (European Astronaut Centre, Cologne, Germany), and between 2002 and 2005 I worked as a flight and theory instructor on light aircraft at several airports in Ottawa, Canada. Most recently, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, under the supervision of Prof. Jan Born.
My lab focuses on neuroplasticity associated with complex tasks, using musicianship (and its interaction with language) as a model. We use a variety of neuroimaging tools (i.e. MEG, EEG, fMRI, DWI, VBM) to study the neural bases of auditory processing, hearing-in-noise, and musician advantages, and their relation to training. We are also combining these areas with new techniques that can causally influence sleep-dependent memory consolidation, such as closed-loop auditory stimulation. Ultimately, our goals are to understand how training and sleep interventions can maintain auditory and language function, and improve learning and quality of life throughout the lifespan. As we gain experience with some of the new portable (neuro)physiology tools, we are also exploring ways to take cognitive neuroscience outside of the lab into people's homes and every lives, as well as unusual and extreme environments.