Sensory thresholds from theory to application in screening and medical devices

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This research proposal concerns the theoretical basis of sensory thresholds, and its implications for the screening of sensory impairment and for device design in the restoration of sensory function. With a rapidly aging Canadian population, healthy functioning of the senses like hearing and vision ranks high in priority. The research proposed here explores the key principles that underlie the senses with respect to our ability to detect small changes in the environment. The proposal seeks to develop a comprehensive model of threshold phenomena in terms of the peripheral neural activity as well as the assumptions underlying the activity required to elicit a detectable change. Parallel to this, we would like to use the threshold model to develop potential future applications in terms of screening and assessment. Both hearing and vision loss can greatly affect life expectancy of aging Canadians. Rapid detection and diagnosis can help reverse a multitude of issues including physical and cognitive decline. Using neural models to analyze the temporal resolution of hearing, this can lead to potential new tests that can more effectively screen for the inability to hear speech in noisy backgrounds. Machine learning techniques can be used to analyze visual screening patterns leading potentially to more effective ways to track the progression of glaucoma. Finally, when sensory decline is inevitable, this research proposal also addresses the issue of how to better design visual prostheses. Current designs provide no indication of the type of vision experienced by the subject after implant. The goal of this part of the research is to develop one of the very first models of the visual system that can help predict exactly what the person sees when using such an implant, i.e. provide a comprehensive understanding from "stimulation to seeing".