Auditory Development And Plasticity

The auditory system has a remarkable ability to adjust to an ever-changing environment. The six review chapters that comprise Plasticity of the Central Auditory System cover a spectrum of issues concerning this ability to adapt, defined by the widely applicable term "plasticity". With chapters focusing on the development of the cochlear nucleus, the mammalian superior olivary complex, plasticity in binaural hearing, plasticity in the auditory cortex, neural plasticity in bird songs, and plasticity in the insect auditory system, this volume represents much of the most current research in this field. The volume is thorough enough to stand alone, but is closely related a previous SHAR volume, Development of the Auditory System (Volume 9) by Rubel, Popper, and Fay. The book fully addresses the difficulties, challenges, and complexities of this topic as it applies to the auditory development of a wide variety of species.

This volume presents a set of essays that discuss the development and plasticity of the vertebrate auditory system. The topic is one that has been considered before in the Springer Handbook of Auditory Research (volume 9 in 1998, and volume 23 in 2004) but the field has grown substantially and it is appropriate to bring previous material up to date to reflect the wealth of new data and to raise some entirely new topics. At the same time, this volume is also unique in that it is the outgrowth of a symposium honoring two-time SHAR co-editor Professor Edwin W Rubel on his retirement. The focus of this volume, though, is an integrated set of papers that reflect the immense contributions that Dr. Rubel has made to the field over his career. Thus, the volume concurrently presents a topic that is timely for SHAR, but which also honors the pioneer in the field. Each chapter explores development with consideration of plasticity and how it becomes limited over time. The editors have selected authors with professional, and often personal, connections to Dr. Rubel, though all are, in their own rights, outstanding scholars and leaders in their fields. The specific audience will be graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and established psychologists and neuroscientists who are interested in auditory function, development, and plasticity. This volume will also be of interest to hearing scientists and to the broad neuroscience community because many of the ideas and principles associate with the auditory system are applicable to most sensory systems. The volume is organized to appeal to psychophysicists, neurophysiologists, anatomists, and systems neuroscientists who attend meetings such as those held by the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, the Acoustical Society of America, and the Society for Neuroscience.

The symposium that has provided the basis for this book, "Plasticity of the Central Auditory System and Processing of Complex Acoustic Signals" was held in Prague on July 7-10, 2003. This is the fourth in a series of seminal meetings summarizing the state of development of auditory system neuroscience that has been organized in that great world city. Books that have resulted from these meetings represent important benchmarks for auditory neuroscience over the past 25 years. A 1980 meeting, "Neuronal Mechanisms of Hearing" hosted the most distinguished hearing researchers focusing on underlying brain processes from this era. It resulted in a highly influential and widely subscribed and cited proceedings co-edited by professor Lindsay Aitkin. The subject of the 1987 meeting was the "Auditory Pathway - Structure and Function". It again resulted in another important update of hearing science research in a widely referenced book - edited by the late Bruce Masterton. While the original plan was to hold a meeting summarizing the state of auditory system neuroscience every 7 years, historical events connected with the disintegration of the Soviet Empire and return of freedom to Czechoslovakia resulted in an unavoidable delay of what was planned to be a 1994 meeting. It wasn't until 1996 that we were able to meet for the third time in Prague, at that time to review "Acoustical Signal Processing in the Central Auditory System".

An integrated overview of hearing and the interplay of physical, biological, and psychological processes underlying it. Every time we listen—to speech, to music, to footsteps approaching or retreating—our auditory perception is the result of a long chain of diverse and intricate processes that unfold within the source of the sound itself, in the air, in our ears, and, most of all, in our brains. Hearing is an "everyday miracle" that, despite its staggering complexity, seems effortless. This book offers an integrated account of hearing in terms of the neural processes that take place in different parts of the auditory system. Because hearing results from the interplay of so many physical, biological, and psychological processes, the book pulls together the different aspects of hearing—including acoustics, the mathematics of signal processing, the physiology of the ear and central auditory pathways, psychoacoustics, speech, and music—into a coherent whole.

Development of Auditory and Vestibular Systems fourth edition presents a global and synthetic view of the main aspects of the development of the stato-acoustic system. Unique to this volume is the joint discussion of two sensory systems that, although close at the embryological stage, present divergences during development and later reveal conspicuous functional differences at the adult stage. This work covers the development of auditory receptors up to the central auditory system from several animal models, including humans. Coverage of the vestibular system, spanning amphibians to effects of altered gravity during development in different species, offers examples of the diversity and complexity of life at all levels, from genes through anatomical form and function to, ultimately, behavior. The new edition of Development of Auditory and Vestibular Systems will continue to be an indispensable resource for beginning scientists in this area and experienced researchers alike. Full-color figures illustrate the development of the stato-acoustic system pathway Covers a broad range of species, from drosophila to humans, demonstrating the diversity of morphological development despite similarities in molecular processes involved at the cellular level Discusses a variety of approaches, from genetic-molecular biology to psychophysics, enabling the investigation of ontogenesis and functional development

The Oxford Handbook of The Auditory Brainstem provides an introduction as well as an in-depth reference to the organization and function of ascending and descending auditory pathways in the mammalian brainstem. Individual chapters are organized along the auditory pathway beginning with the cochlea and ending with the auditory midbrain. Each chapter provides an introduction to the respective area, and summarizes our current knowledge before discussing disputes and challenges the field currently faces. A major emphasis throughout this book is on the numerous forms of plasticity that are increasingly observed in many areas of the auditory brainstem. Several chapters focus on neuronal modulation of function and synaptic, neuronal, and circuit plasticity, especially under circumstances when they occur most prominently: during development, aging, and following peripheral hearing loss. In addition, the book addresses the role of trauma-induced maladaptive plasticity with respect to its contribution in generating central hearing dysfunction such as hyperacusis and tinnitus. The book is intended for students and postdocs starting in the auditory field, and researchers of related fields who wish to get an authoritative and up-to-date summary of the current state of auditory brainstem research. For clinical practitioners in audiology, otolaryngology, and neurology, the book is a valuable resource of information about the neuronal mechanisms that are major candidates for the generation of central hearing dysfunction.

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

There has been substantial progress in understanding the contributions of the auditory forebrain to hearing, sound localization, communication, emotive behavior, and cognition. The Auditory Cortex covers the latest knowledge about the auditory forebrain, including the auditory cortex as well as the medial geniculate body in the thalamus. This book will cover all important aspects of the auditory forebrain organization and function, integrating the auditory thalamus and cortex into a smooth, coherent whole. Volume One covers basic auditory neuroscience. It complements The Auditory Cortex, Volume 2: Integrative Neuroscience, which takes a more applied/clinical perspective.