| SeS # | TOPICS | KEY DATES |
|---|---|---|
| Lec 1 | Hearing and the Auditory System: An Overview Stages of processing in the auditory system and their function. Detection, localization and recognition of sounds. Subjective and objective variables and experiments. Auditory demonstrations. | |
| Theme 1: Masking and Frequency Selectivity | ||
| Lec 2 | How the Ear Works (Functional Cochlear Mechanics) Cochlear tuning. Hair cell transduction. Nonlinearities. The cochlear amplifier. Otoacoustic emissions. | |
| Lec 3 | Stimulus Coding in the Auditory Nerve The AN as an information conduit. Frequency tuning. Nonlinearities. Relation of AN activity to cochlear processing. Neural variability as a limit on psychophysical performance. Compound action potential. | |
| Lab 1 | What was the Stimulus? | |
| Lec 4 | Masking and Frequency Selectivity Psychophysical techniques. Signal detection theory. Power spectrum model of masking. Techniques for measuring auditory filters. Psychophysical effects of cochlear nonlinearities. | |
| Lec 5 | Masking and Nonlinearity | |
| Lec 6 | Masking and Nonlinearity (cont.) | |
| Lec 7 | Cochlear Implants Electrodes and processors. Basic auditory capabilities of implantees. Effect of electrode configuration. Processor design. Bilateral implants. | |
| Lab 2 | Fundamentals of Perceptual Audio Encoding | |
| Lec 8 | Intensity Perception and Cochlear Hearing Loss Loudness. Stevens' law. Intensity discrimination. Weber's law and its near miss. Relation of loudness to intensity. Consequences of reduced frequency selectivity and loss of cochlear amplifier in cochlear hearing impairment. | Theme 1 written report due |
| Theme 2: Cellular Mechanisms in the Cochlear Nucleus | ||
| Lec 9 | Channels, Synapses and Neurotransmitters Excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission. Neurotransmitters and receptors. Second messengers. | |
| Lec 10 | Cellular Mechanisms in the Cochlear Nucleus Parallel processing pathways in the cochlear nucleus. Correlation of cell types with response types. Neural specializations for temporal processing. | |
| Lec 11 | Cellular Mechanisms in the Cochlear Nucleus (cont.) | |
| Lab 3 | Single-unit Typing in the Cochlear Nucleus | |
| Lec 12 | Cellular Mechanisms in the Cochlear Nucleus (cont.) | |
| Theme 3: Binaural Interactions | ||
| Lec 13 | Binaural Hearing Localization and lateralization. Cues for sound localization. Sensitivity to binaural cues. The Jeffress model. The precedence effect. Binaural detection. | |
| Lec 14 | Binaural Interactions in the Auditory Brainstem Neural circuitry and cellular specializations for binaural processing. Two basic forms of binaural interactions. Transformations of binaural information in the auditory pathway. | Theme 2 written report due |
| Lec 15 | Binaural Interactions | |
| Lab 4 | Neuroanatomy Demonstrations | |
| Lec 16 | Binaural Interactions (cont.) | |
| Lab 5 | Compartmental Model of Binaural Coincidence Detector Neuron | |
| Theme 4: Pitch and Temporal Coding | ||
| Lec 17 | Pitch of Pure and Complex Tones Pitch of pure and complex tones. Virtual pitch. Place and temporal models of pitch. Role of pitch in auditory scene analysis. | Theme 3 written report due |
| Lec 18 | Neural Processing of Pitch Rate and temporal codes. Temporal envelope and fine structure. Interspike interval representation of pitch. Tuning to modulation frequency and its possible role in pitch coding. Transformations of temporal information along the auditory pathway. | |
| Lec 19 | Pitch and Temporal Coding | |
| Lec 20 | Pitch and Temporal Coding (cont.) | |
| Theme 5: Neural Maps and Plasticity | ||
| Lec 21 | Auditory Cortex: Cortical Organization Cortical areas and layers. Thalamo-cortical and cortico-cortical projections. Tonotopy. Columnar organization. Parallel and hierarchical processing. Functions of the cortex. | Theme 4 written report due |
| Lec 22 | The Human Auditory System Imaging modalities: fMRI, MEG, AEP. Tonotopy in human auditory cortex. What and where pathways. Tinnitus-related abnormalities in brain activation. | |
| Lec 23 | Neural Maps and Plasticity | |
| Lec 24 | Neural Maps and Plasticity (cont.) | |
| Theme 6: Auditory Scene Analysis and Object Formation | ||
| Lec 25 | Auditory Scene Analysis (ASA) and Object Formation Bottom-up ("primitive") and top-down ("schema based") mechanisms. Simultaneous processes in ASA: Harmonicity, Onset/offset asynchrony, Co-modulation. Sequential processes: Auditory streaming. | Theme 5 written report due |
| Lec 26 | Scene Analysis | |
| Final Exam | Theme 6 written report due | |