Unraveling the electrophysiological basis of auditory entrainment from a gender perspective

An important challenge in developmental psychiatric research is to understand which are the neural mechanisms underlying language acquisition and speech comprehension. Auditory entrainment is the mechanism by which the brain faithfully entrains electrophysiological activity to rhythmically modulated stimuli, and it is seen as the mechanism that the listening brain use to attune to acoustic regularities and to enhance the representation of attended stimuli. Although it has being proposed as a potential biomarker of neurodevelopmental disorders, very little is known about the neuronal mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. Here we aim at dissecting the circuit and functional basis of normal and abnormal auditory circuit function underlying auditory entrainment, paying special attention to sex differences and hormonal effect. At Csisvari’s lab I will record single cells firing activity in the auditory cortex and identify their putative role in synchronizing electrophysiological activity during auditory perception. Using optogenetic technology we will be able to identify firing patterns of fast spiking/PV+ and somatostatin interneurons and study their participation in auditory entrainment in control subjects.

Faculty Supervisor:

Graziella Di Cristo

Student:

Partner:

Institute of Science and Technology Austria

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

Université de Montréal

Program: