About us
The Centanni lab (aka the Genetics of Auditory and visual Perception and Plasticity lab) focuses on studying auditory and visual perception (with a focus on language and reading), genetic influences in communication disorders, and neural plasticity during intervention. To accomplish this goal, the lab uses a variety of models to better understand the biological mechanisms of communication impairments. To unpack the genetic heterogeneity of language and reading, we use rats as a model to investigate the link between certain genes and auditory perception and plasticity. We then bring in human participants to test these results and evaluate new methods of driving plasticity during language and reading interventions using EEG, fMRI, genetics, and behavioral assessment. This approach will help us bridge the GAPP between basic science of mechanism discovery and the application of this knowledge for improved diagnosis and improvement of language and reading in humans.
Studies currently in data collection:
The Ferris Wheel Study
The Ferris Wheel study investigates how the brain’s reading network processes rotated text in those with reading difficulties. The study utilizes high-density EEG to answer these questions.
The Grammy Study
With grant funding from the GRAMMY Museum, we are excited about this new project, which is now in data collection! This study investigates the impact of musical training on the brain’s ability to set and evaluate expectations in those with dyslexia. The study utilizes high-density EEG to answer these questions.
Non-invasive auricular vagus nerve stimulation for improving reading, language, and more!
Previous work by Dr. Centanni has demonstrated that some children who struggle to learn to read have inconsistency in their brain's response to speech and letter stimuli. In these children, their brains do not respond the same way every time they hear a single speech sound. In typical readers, this consistency is important when it comes time to match the sound a letter makes to the visual presentation of that letter (a grapheme). Many interventions already exist for dyslexia, but none are 100% successful and there are many brain and genetic differences that may drive the failure of children to respond in any single case. The Centanni Lab is currently running several studies in college-age adults to test a novel method for improving learning speed and retention in novel orthographies, reading comprehension, and auditory perception.
Genetic influences on communication disorders and plasticity
Human work: A neurotropic factor, BDNF, is critical for learning and memory and a common variant in this gene may play a role in neural plasticity. We are using PCR to investigate this gene in relation to our auricular vagus nerve stimulation studies and preparing to begin some exciting studies on gene-brain-behavior relationships in humans with dyslexia.
Animal model work: Communication disorders in humans are complex and often the result of many genes. Dr. Centanni's previous work involved unpacking the role of two individual dyslexia-associated genes on auditory perception and plasticity for auditory stimuli, including speech sounds. The Centanni lab branch at TCU is investigating these genes further and to expand our work into genes associated with communication disorders. We’ve generated a Dcdc2 knockout rat to continue our work on genetics and plasticity in dyslexia and are currently evaluating their performance on a variety of auditory perception tasks. We are also investigating the role of Cntnap2 knockout on prediction abilities using a novel speech sound discrimination task.