The 2014-2015 lecture focused on the modulation of sound perception.
Topics covered included :
- the cortical representation of acoustic stimuli, with particular emphasis on new concepts emerging from the study of natural sounds ;
- recent advances in the cortical coding of sounds ;
- the modulation of sound perception by attention, learning and emotion ;
- sound representation disorders : developmental dyslexia.
Auditory perception is modulated by psychic state, particularly emotion, and cognitive functions (attention, learning, memory). Studying the mode of action of these modulators sheds light on the principles of auditory system functioning and those of auditory cognition, which lead to the elaboration of a coherent representation of the world of sound. Recent advances in auditory neurophysiology explain some of these modulations.