Kevin R. Sitek (SoundBrain Lab, University of Pittsburgh)

Title: Subcortical pathways in the human auditory system

Abstract: The human auditory pathway is comprised of multiple subcortical nuclei en route to auditory cortex. Each of these auditory structures receives top-down auditory inputs as well as multisensory and context-dependent inputs from other sensory and cognitive brain regions (and vice versa). While these neural connections are crucial for human behaviors such as speech communication and music, most of our knowledge of subcortical auditory pathways comes from animal models. In this talk I will discuss my work mapping the human subcortical auditory system using ultra-high resolution functional MRI, diffusion MRI tractography, and anatomical MRI with post mortem and in vivo human datasets. Further, I will show recent and ongoing work characterizing auditory cortical connections with dorsal striatum and their contribution to human auditory category learning. Overall, I aim to expand beyond our cortical-centric view of the human auditory system by better understanding subcortical auditory connections and their contributions to auditory processing.

When: July 12, 1:00-2:00pm

Where: Jeanne Timmons amphitheatre at the MNI (directions here), or online