Computational Neuroscience of Speech & Hearing

The research group "Computational Neuroscience of Speech & Hearing" investigates the neural and cognitive underpinnings of auditory communication across the lifespan.

In our research, we focus on healthy individuals as well as those who have hearing and language pathology (e.g., age-related hearing loss, dementia, Alzheimer's disease).

We have three major goals:

1) Fundamental research: Based on fundamental (experimental) research, we want to understand the associations between health, sensory functioning, language, cognition, and neuroanatomy as well as functioning of the brain across the lifespan in healthy individuals.

2) Clinical research: Working with individuals who have neuropathology such as Alzheimer's disease, we want to understand the impact of sensory decline and language pathology on cognition and the brain.

3) Applied research/Innovations: We develop and use digital and neurophysiology-based tools to improve diagnostics and interventions against hearing and language pathology (e.g. we are collecting real-life data on mobile phones or hearing aids, we are developing digital training apps in virtual reality, neurofeedback). 

In our experiments we use various neuropsychological and psychoacoustic tests and a range of neuroimaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) in humans. In all our research streams, we apply an individual and context-dependent perspective on participants and patients in our research.

Our research is highly interdisciplinary, while mainly anchored in cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and linguistics.

In order to reach our goals, we have close collaborations with several industrial partners and with the medical fields to develop technical innovations and to transfer our research into practice.

The research group "Computational Neuroscience of Speech & Hearing" is funded by the SNSF.