Mathematical Challenges in
Developmental Biology 2008-2009
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Workshop 8: The Auditory System (June 25-28, 2007)

Organizers: James Sneyd and David Mountain

The human auditory system from the inner ear to the auditory cortex is a complex multilevel pathway of sound information processing. One of the early stages of sound processing occurs in the cochlea, where the vibration pattern of the basilar membrane encodes the frequency and amplitude of incoming sound signals. Though well-known partial differential equations (PDEs) in classical mechanics provide a solid foundation for describing these mechanical activities, additional nonlinearities must be modeled to capture responses such as tonal suppressions and the observed frequency selectivity.

The workshop aims to explore the mathematical models of the ear at a number of different levels, ranging from PDE models of the mechanics of the basilar membrane, to biophysical models of the outer hair cells, to signal processing applications in industry and health sciences.

Specific workshop topics would be:

  • Cochlea: models and mechanics.
  • Hair cells: biophysics and active feedback.
  • Applications of signal processing methods to hearing
    aids, ear implants and speech recognition.

Schedule
Monday, June 25
8:45-9:00am Welcome and introduction by Avner Friedman
9:00-9:45am Introduction 1: David Mountain
9:45-10:30am Coffee break
10:30-11:15am Introduction 2: Egbert de Boer
11:15-12:00pm Short talks: Kuni Iwasa and Christopher Bergevin
12:00-2:00pm Lunch
2:00-2:45pm Rob Raphael: Computational Model of Ion Transport in the Inner Ear
2:45-3:30pm Coffee break
3:30-4:15pm Charles Steele: Asymptotic-numerical solution for cochlear model with full organ of Corti
4:15-5:00pm Posters and general discussion
5:00-7:00pm Reception in the Math Tower, Room 724
Tuesday, June 26
9:00-9:45am Christopher Shera: Laser with a twist: Traveling-wave propagation and gain functions from throughout the cochlea
9:45-10:30am Coffee break
10:30-11:15am Egbert de Boer: Waves in cochlear fluids
11:15-12:00pm Short talks: Tilak Ratnanather and Johan H.M. Frijns
12:00-2:00pm Lunch
2:00-2:45pm Jont Allen: Wave power flux in inhomogeneous media
2:45-3:30pm Coffee break
3:30-4:15pm Richard Chadwick: The whispering gallery effect in the mammalian cochlea: A boost for low frequencies
4:15-5:00pm Posters and general discussion
Wednesday, June 27
9:00-9:45am Marcel van der Heijden: Group delays in the apex of the cochlea
9:45-10:30am Coffee break
10:30-11:15am Elizabeth Olson: The passive substrate for active cochlear tuning
11:15-12:00pm Short talks: Monty Escabi and Craig Atencio
12:00-2:00pm Lunch
2:00-2:45pm Alexander Spector: Outer Hair Cell: From Molecular Motors to Cochlear Mechanics
2:45-3:30pm Coffee break
3:30-4:15pm Karl Grosh: Electromotility and Electrical Conduction in the Cochlea
4:15-5:00pm Posters and general discussion
6:00-9:00pm Dinner at the Holiday Inn on the Lane
Thursday, June 28
9:00-9:45am Li Deng
9:45-10:30am Coffee break
10:30-11:15am James Harte: Modelling the role of compression in the auditory system: From bio- to psycho-physics
11:15-12:00pm Short talks: Li Deng and Yi-Wen Liu
12:00-2:00pm Lunch
2:00-2:45pm Robert Shannon: Auditory prostheses and neuroscience: electrical stimulation of the human cochlea, cochlear nucleus and inferior colliculus
2:45-3:30pm Coffee break
3:30-5:00pm Posters and general discussion