Auditory Neuroscience - The architecture and principles governing neural responses to natural sounds

The project will focus on comparing different computational models of neural responses to natural sounds. The recent improvements in recording technology which now allow for simultaneous recording of hundreds of neurons in response to naturalistic sounds must be matched by computational models able to quantitatively predict and interpret such responses, at both the single neuron and network levels. Therefore, a thorough comparison of the explanatory capacity of new and existing modelling frameworks will be invaluable in advancing our understanding of the computational principles governing the auditory brain. This investigation will include different computational units (e.g., linear, nonlinear, integrating), various model architectures (deep hierarchical networks, recurrent networks, deep recurrent networks), and different computational principles (e.g., temporal prediction, predictive coding, task specification), combining encoding modelling and normative principles. The project will be conducted using single-unit neural responses recorded along the auditory pathway of ferrets and mice in response to natural sounds. The expectation is for the project to winnow the large variety of ideas on the form and function of the auditory pathway to only the most plausible, also hoping to inform future experimental investigation of auditory brain organisation