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Abstract

Communication signals are complex signals on fast time-scales, in multiple modalities, and have to be computed online, often under adverse conditions. The goal of my research is to identify the sensory processes that enable us to perceive these complex signals and to successfully communicate with one another. In my talk I will give an overview of this work with a focus on auditory communication signals. I will start with patient lesion studies on voice-identity recognition. I will then move to neuroimaging (fMRI, DWI, MEG) and neurostimulation work involving neurotypical as well as people with developmental communication deficits (dyslexia, prosopagnosia). The work shows (i) that auditory and visual sensory processing interact much more and at earlier stages in the human brain than previously thought and (ii) that there are also much more and earlier within modality interactions, i.e. between cerebral cortex and the subcortical sensory pathways, than commonly assumed. These interactions might explain how the brain, in communication, can achieve its speed, accuracy, and robustness.