LIN Seminar: “Cortical pathways for hearing and listening effort” by Kelsey Anbuhl (Creighton University)
October 23, 2025
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
SELE 4289
Calendar
Download iCal FilePlease join us October 23, 2025 at 4pm in SELE 4289 for a LIN Seminar featuring "Cortical pathways for hearing and listening effort" by Dr. Kelsey Anbuhl (Creighton University)
Host: Joe Zak
Abstract: he goal of the Anbuhl lab is to understand the neural circuits that support auditory perceptual and cognitive skills, and how hearing loss alters these circuits. Our work focuses on sensory experience during key developmental windows that can shape cortical function and behavior into adulthood. In this seminar, I will first describe how transient hearing loss during adolescence can lead to long-lasting perceptual deficits that can be attributed to degraded auditory cortex processing, revealing a distinct form of plasticity beyond early critical periods. I will then turn to ongoing work on listening effort (i.e., recruitment of cognitive resources during auditory tasks), which poses a significant burden to those with hearing loss. Yet, the central mechanisms are unclear. Here, I identify a descending cortical pathway from the cingulate-to-auditory cortex in the gerbil that facilitates auditory perceptual performance during challenging listening conditions. Together, these findings suggest that this pathway is a plausible circuit that may be undermined by hearing loss.
Date posted
Jun 24, 2025
Date updated
Oct 10, 2025