17.05.2017Challenges for the auditory system. Echo cancellation in the auditory system as a crucial component for sensory perception

Dr. Ida Siveke, General Zoology and Neurobiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

An exhilarating conversation at a cocktail party is a huge challenge for our auditory system: The ear receives a lot of varying auditory information from different sources. All acoustic sources need to be processed at once to locate their origin. Reflections from the walls create additional illusions and echoes. The brain needs to separate all the sound impressions to recognize the echoes as such. Neuronal studies have shown that a complex circuit in the brainstem, consisting of inhibitory and excitatory neurons, suppress the echoes and filter out the relevant signals. This process provides us with our precise perception and enables us to understand our conversation partner at the next party.