Allen L. Edwards Psychology Lecture Series with Dr. Joerg T. Albert, Professor of Sensory Physiology & Behavior, University of Oldenburg, Germany

Perfect Distortions: What Mosquito Ears Can Tell Us About the Nonlinear Ways of Our Minds
Dr. Joerg T. Albert, Professor of Sensory Physiology & Behavior, University of Oldenburg, Germany
 

The title of this lecture is arguably misleading, probably deceptive. It suggests a straight line (but straight lines are tricks of light anyway) between its somewhat arcane content - i.e. the biophysics of hearing in mosquitoes and fruit flies - and its relevance to understanding our brains. Can this be true? Can any lecture live up to such hyperbole? In good dialectic tradition, I would try it first with a decided Yes and No, uncertain where that will take us.
 

But I do know where it will start. It will start with the common ground of all animal nervous systems. Conceptually speaking, nervous systems are information brokers, networks of multiple interconnected, multidirectional sender-receiver chains. The vast majority of nervous system activity originates from neurons. A couple of sensory neurons gather information from the external world (for example, acoustic information, which you may decide to use during my talk), while a handful of motoneurons inform muscles to enact complex behaviors. Squeezed in the middle is the hydrocephalic mass of a myriad of interneurons (or ‘the brain’, if you must). All of them have one thing in common (with each other and with me): They are as good at straight lines as your average homing drunkard. I am referring to essential (i.e. unavoidable) nonlinearities associated to neuronal signal generation and transmission processes. Signals that pass through such a nonlinear chain are bound to be deformed, are bound to be distorted.
 

This talk will focus on one of those essential nonlinearities, and its resulting essential distortions (which are, contrary to their noisy appeal, mathematically regular, periodic and rather harmonious fellows). I will talk about the nonlinearity associated with auditory transduction, that is, the conversion of sound into neuro-electrical signals (e.g. into action potential trains). Using the example of the auditory system of humans and mosquitoes alike, I will propose that essential distortions are not a form of noise, but rather part and parcel of the general signaling logic of possibly all neurons, and possibly all brains.

 

Faculty hosts: Sama Ahmed & Dr. Bonnie Lau

These lectures are made possible by a generous endowment by Professor Allen L. Edwards