# Spatial Information Codes

> **NIH NIH R01** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $329,060

## Abstract

SUMMARY
This project concerns computational challenges in the integration of visual and auditory
signals in the brain. The primate brain uses different coding formats to encode the
locations of visual and auditory stimuli, with maps of visual space and meters or rate
codes for auditory space. The disparity in coding format poses challenges for
connecting the visual and auditory aspects of common underlying objects or events.
The proposed experiments investigate the possibility that visual stimuli cause
fundamental changes in auditory representations, by changing the overall structure of
auditory spatial sensitivity (Aim 1) and/or by capturing temporal fluctuations in auditory-
evoked activity (Aim 2). These experiments will shed light on the neural mechanisms
that can support visual-auditory perceptual phenomena such as the use of lip reading
cues to facilitate speech comprehension, and the use of visual information to help focus
on a particular sound in a crowded auditory scene such as a cocktail party. These
abilities are important in normal, aging, and sensory-impaired populations.
The experiments involve a combined approach involving behavior, neurophysiology, and
advanced statistical analyses concerning evaluation of fluctuating patterns of neural
activity. The work is spearheaded by a collaborative team led by Profs. Surya Tokdar
(Statistical Science, Duke University) and Jennifer Groh (Neurobiology, Duke
University), and builds on analogies from technological systems such as the use of time
division multiplexing to intersperse signals from different sounds into a fluctuating neural
firing pattern. This computational approach will yield insights into how sensory systems
overcome their differences to work in synergy with each other, particularly when there is
competition among stimuli for a slot in neural representations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9977147
- **Project number:** 5R01DC016363-04
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** JENNIFER M GROH
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $329,060
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9977147

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9977147, Spatial Information Codes (5R01DC016363-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9977147. Licensed CC0.

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