Mathematical Investigation of Neural Processing in the Auditory Brainstem

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Reed9805761 The investigator and his collaborator, Joseph Blum, haveoffered the only proposal for how the neurons in the lateralsuperior olive collectively compute and encode azimuthal locationbased on sound level difference at the ears. Recent experimentalevidence indicates that their proposal may be correct. In thefirst part of this project, the investigator works withcollaborators to compare the model predictions with experimentalresults. Analytical investigations explain why the model encodingis very independent of sound level and exceptionally robust toparameter variations and synapse and cell death. A second partof the project uses mathematical models and machine computationto investigate neural processing in the dorsal nucleus of thelateral lemniscus, DNLL, an important intermediary processingregion between the superior olivary complex and the midbrain.Recent experimental studies have shed new light on the anatomyand physiology of the DNLL, but no modelling studies have beenperformed to understand how the DNLL neurons process their inputsand influence the encoding of a map of space in the auditorymidbrain. Using mathematics and computation, the investigator studiesthe structure and function of specific groups of nerve cells. Themain focus of this project is to understand how groups of nervecells in the brain perform together calculations that individualnerve cells cannot do. These investigations not only help usunderstand normal brain function, but should also enable thedesign of prosthetic devices and treatment strategies in certaincases of brain injury. In connection with these researchactivities, the investigator trains mathematics Ph.D. studentsand post-doctoral associates in the applications of mathematicsto biological systems and medicine. In addition, he teaches afreshman course entitled "Applications of Mathematics toPhysiology and Medicine," which introduces excellent collegefreshmen to this new and exciting field.