Dear fellow neuroscientists,
Apologies for the repeat announcement – the previous announcement contained an incorrect date for the upcoming E.A.R.S. seminar. The next E.A.R.S. seminar will be
tomorrow, February 15. We hope to see you there!
Please join us Tomorrow, February 15 at 1:00 pm EST (UTC-5) for the next edition of E.A.R.S. (Electronic Auditory Research Seminars), a monthly auditory seminar series with the focus on central auditory
processing and circuits. Please pre-register (for free) and tune in via Crowdcast (enter your email to receive the link for the talk): https://www.crowdcast.io/e/ears/15
(Note: for optimal performance, we recommend using Google Chrome as your browser).
Dr. Ioana Carcea (Rutgers University)
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"Social transmission of behavioral responses to distress calls"
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Maternal care, including by non-biological parents, is important for offspring survival. Oxytocin, which is released by the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), is a critical maternal hormone. In mice, oxytocin enables
neuroplasticity in the auditory cortex for maternal recognition of pup distress. However, it is unclear how initial parental experience promotes hypothalamic signalling and cortical plasticity for reliable maternal care. We continuously monitored the behaviour
of female virgin mice co-housed with an experienced mother and litter. This documentary approach was synchronized with neural recordings from the virgin PVN, including oxytocin neurons. These cells were activated as virgins were enlisted in maternal care by
experienced mothers, who shepherded virgins into the nest and demonstrated pup retrieval. Virgins visually observed maternal retrieval, which activated PVN oxytocin neurons and promoted alloparenting. Thus rodents can acquire maternal behaviour by social transmission,
providing a mechanism for adapting the brains of adult caregivers to infant needs via endogenous oxytocin.
Dr. Liberty Hamilton (University of Texas at Austin)
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"A parallel pathway for speech that bypasses primary auditory cortex"
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A prevailing view of information flow through the auditory pathway posits that speech sounds are processed through a hierarchy from brainstem to thalamus to the primary auditory cortex and out to speech cortex on the superior
temporal gyrus. Using a combination of high resolution ECoG grid recordings across the lateral superior temporal gyrus (STG) and core auditory areas on the temporal plane, cortical stimulation, and ablation, we show that this may not be the case. Instead,
we find an area of the posterior STG that is activated in parallel to the primary auditory cortex at indistinguishable latencies. Stimulation of the primary auditory cortex does not appear to interfere with speech perception, which would be predicted if it
provided the sole inputs to this area. I will discuss these results and implications for brain processing of speech.
***Additionally, we are currently seeking applications from trainees interested in presenting their work in our upcoming Trainee Session on March 22. Please complete this form to apply by February 22:
https://forms.gle/iW2dabEzah1eLQpWA
The application is also available on our website.
More upcoming E.A.R.S. seminars (1:00 pm ET):
March 22:
April 19:
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NIDCD + BRAIN Initiative: Panel about NIH BRAIN initiative expanding to NIDCD
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Organizers: Dr. Merav Sabri, Dr. Amy Poremba
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Presenters: Dr. Maria Geffen (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Stephen David (OHSU), Dr. Dmitry Rinberg (New York University)
May 10:
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Diego Elgueda (University of Chile)
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Narayan Sankaran (University of California San Francisco)
With kind wishes,
Maria Geffen
Yale Cohen
Steve Eliades
Stephen David
Alexandria Lesicko
Nathan Vogler
Jean-Hugues Lestang
Huaizhen Cai