A team of CBU scientists are developing a neural test that may be able to detect language comprehension in autistic people with minimal spoken language. The test uses EEG to measure children’s neural responses to spoken sentences. It relies on machine-learning algorithms to detect whether the brain responds differentially to sentences that are semantically correct […]
Auditory-inspired algorithm to improve speech perception and reduce power consumption
Worldwide over 800,000 people with severe-to-profound hearing loss use a cochlear implant (CI) to perceive sound. CIs can be used by babies, who are born deaf, after just a few months up to the elderly who lost their hearing later in life. Despite ongoing research efforts, speech perception in noisy environments remains a major problem […]
Learning to read in classrooms and brain scanners
Learning to read is the most important skill that children acquire at school. Since 2006, UK schools have been legally required to teach children phonics knowledge – the links between letters and sounds – “fast and first”. However, despite the apparent efficacy of phonics, this prescriptive approach to literacy education remains controversial. With funding from […]
How to make sense of degraded speech
In our everyday life, we often encounter speech that is hard to hear and understand. This can be due to the noise of a busy pub, hearing someone with an unfamiliar accent, or for speech heard over a bad telephone line. All of these problems are exacerbated for people with impaired hearing; the most common […]
Generating a passion for science and well-being among young people through the MYRIAD project
Scientific research is often depicted as an isolated endeavour that is inaccessible to the general public, let alone open to the inquiry of school children. In order to bridge this gap and to share the science of well-being with young people, a group of scientists at the MRC CBU developed a set of public engagement […]
Do psychological therapy and antidepressants help by changing the same brain regions?
For decades, there have been two frontline treatments for those who suffer from emotional disorders: psychological therapies and antidepressant medications. Though they target different levels of the human person, both forms of treatment can be effective, especially when they are combined. However, the precise neural mechanisms through which each acts remain unknown. Scientists at the […]
OCS-BRIDGE supports the NHS with cognitive and mood screening in the wild
When do difficulties with cognition or mental health cross the threshold from ordinary to something that needs medical attention? In the context of limited resources, objective testing is invaluable. But because highly trained specialists are few and far between, NHS health workers are often the ones responsible for the essential task of assessing patients’ cognition […]