Project description
Understanding auditory processing maturation in adolescence
Complex auditory processing, such as speech perception in noise, follows a protracted development until mid to late adolescence. Yet adolescence might provide a period of heightened neural plasticity, which could be triggered by puberty onset and associated hormonal changes. How puberty onset interacts with individual sensory experience (e.g. hearing loss or auditory training) remains an open question. The EU-funded SensationaHL project will take a unique, multidisciplinary approach to study the maturation of complex auditory processing during adolescence. It aims to provide new insights into the field of developmental auditory cognitive neuroscience and deepen understanding of sensitive periods throughout the lifespan.
Objective
Orienting oneself in a crowded playground, understanding the teacher’s explanation despite the surrounding chatter, lip-reading to support auditory perception in noisy backgrounds: these are all complex but essential skills for navigating lively schools. In children with normal hearing, the auditory system is functionally mature by 6 months of age. Yet complex auditory processing remains immature until mid to late adolescence. Strikingly, adolescence is characterized by the onset of puberty, which triggers a cascade of hormonal changes that drive neural plasticity, and vice-versa. The overarching hypothesis of SensationaHL is that adolescence might present a second sensitive period for complex auditory processing. Just like puberty is a gradual process spanning years, sensitive periods unfold over time. In this project, I propose a multi-method approach to advance our understanding of maturation of complex auditory processing at adolescence. Specifically, I will combine neuroendocrinology, neuroimaging and psychophysics to identify the mechanisms that govern sensitive periods as they unfold over time. First, I will zoom in on the onset of puberty as a potential trigger for heightened plasticity associated with sensitive periods. Next, I will investigate the effect of altered auditory input (due to hearing loss, noise exposition or auditory training) on maturation of complex auditory processing in adolescents. Last, I will focus on the braking factors that contribute to a decrease in plasticity observed at the end of adolescence. SensationaHL uses an innovative multidisciplinary perspective to tackle a remaining challenge in the field of (developmental) auditory cognitive neuroscience. It will have significant impacts on public health (i.e. prevention and clinical management of hearing loss), language education (i.e. speech perception in challenging backgrounds in children) and theoretical understanding of sensitive periods across the lifespan.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsHost institution
1050 Bruxelles / Brussel
Belgium