Hi Reddit, my name is Dr. Nina Kraus and I am professor and neuroscientist at Northwestern University. My research focuses on how the brain learns to make sense of sound, and the impact of this learning on our ability to communicate with one another.
I recently published a study titled "Auditory processing in noise: A preschooler biomarker for literacy" in PLOS Biology. In this study, we measured how a preschooler’s brain responds to sound, using an objective biological approach my lab has developed. We found that the integrity with which preschoolers' brains processed consonants in noise paralleled their early language development, and could predict the development of their literacy skills one year out. This suggests we have an approach to identify which preschoolers will struggle learning to read long before they begin formal instruction. This is important because it would allow us to provide interventions for language disorders such as dyslexia to children before they experience prolonged challenges in school.
To learn more about my work and our biological approach, please check out our website, brainvolts. The website is a labor of love; we update it almost daily. By viewing lab projects, you can gain a sense of the scope of our work. Choose the individual lab project pages that interest you most to see relevant videos, publications, and more -- do be sure to check out the friendly overview slideshow offered for each project. And be sure to check out the demonstration of our biological approach to auditory processing on the homepage, and all papers are available for download from publications.
I will be answering your questions at 1pm ET -- Ask Me Anything!
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @brainvolts.
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