Welcome to the Cerebral Systems Lab!

The central objective of our research program is to understand how the brain responds to changes in sensory input. The goal of our research program is to advance our understanding of how the auditory cortex responds to hearing loss and to the initiation of hearing with cochlear prosthetics. We use a synergistic combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), psychophysical techniques, electrophysiological recording and connectional anatomy. We examine auditory, visual, and tactile function in auditory and visual cortex.

The lab also studies sensory and cognitive factors related to hearing. The cognitive aspects of hearing, such as attention and memory, become crucial when listening in noisy environments. This is especially true for older individuals or those with hearing impairment. Therefore another focus of the lab is to study the neural mechanisms associated with attention and working memory. The goal of this research is to dissociate sensory and cognitive aspects of impaired hearing and provide clinicians with improved tools and strategies for rehabilitation.