Neural Basis of Hearing and Acoustic Communication in Mice

"Sound is one of the major cues how humans and animals perceive the world. Acoustic information is not only used for gathering information on the environment, but in most mammals also important to communicate with each other. Sound is perceived by the ears, but sound information is processed by intricate neural circuits in the brain. In addition, environmental and communication sounds can evoke emotional responses in animals which result in specific social behaviors. We focus on questions how neural circuits in the brain process this information and in which way neural circuits in the brains are changed in brain disorders such as autism spectrum disorders."