Neural mechanisms of monitoring self-produced speech
How does the brain adjust the way we speak based on auditory perception, and what happens when this process malfunctions? We are particularly interested in examining how important conscious perception of one’s own voice is in shaping the way we speak. Evidence suggests, for example, that patients with Parkinson’s disease have deficits in monitoring their own voice (e.g., Railo et al., 2020), which may cause speech deficits, and also likely hinders their treatment. In our Academy of Finland funded research project we study these questions.
Neural mechanisms of conscious and unconscious vision
What neural processes allow us to consciously see? Our research shows that the neural processes that enable subjectively experienced conscious vision emerge relatively fast, in just over 200 ms. We have also extensively studied to what extent can visual information that is not consciously experienced nevertheless guide our behavior (e.g., Railo et al., 2015). Our research indicates that unconscious visual information can guide behavior, but in very limited ways. Using non-invasive brain stimulation (TMS), we have studied whether a phenomenon called blindsight, sometimes observed in patients, generalizes to healthy individuals (e.g., Railo & Hurme, 2021).