Descripción del proyecto
Comprender la maduración del procesamiento auditivo en la adolescencia
El procesamiento auditivo complejo, como la percepción del habla en contextos ruidosos, sigue un desarrollo prolongado hasta mediados o finales de la adolescencia. Sin embargo, la adolescencia podría ser un período de mayor plasticidad neuronal, que podría desencadenarse con el inicio de la pubertad y los cambios hormonales asociados. El modo en que el inicio de la pubertad interactúa con la experiencia sensorial individual (por ejemplo, la pérdida de audición o el entrenamiento auditivo) sigue siendo una cuestión no resuelta. El equipo del proyecto SensationaHL, financiado con fondos europeos, adoptará un método multidisciplinar único para estudiar la maduración del procesamiento auditivo complejo durante la adolescencia. Su objetivo es aportar nuevos conocimientos en el campo de la neurociencia cognitiva auditiva del desarrollo y profundizar en la comprensión de los períodos sensibles a lo largo de la vida.
Objetivo
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.
Ámbito científico
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Régimen de financiación
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsInstitución de acogida
1050 Bruxelles / Brussel
Bélgica