Our research interests can be divided into three main axes.
(1) Cognitive neurosciences of speech functions
To uncover the neural underpinning of speech/voice perception and production mechanisms. To do so, we use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and behavioural approaches.
(2) Aging and brain plasticity
To understand the manner and extent to which the neural systems that support communicative functions evolve over the lifespan and to identify the impacts those changes can have on human communication (language, cognition and emotional processing), as well as on social interactions. Importantly, we are also interested in understanding the positive effects that brain stimulation and certain kinds of activity can have on the aging brain
(3) Tools and research methods development
We have developed the biggest spoken Quebec French linguistic database (SyllabO+). SyllabO+ is both a corpus of spoken records from 225 adults and a series of databases indexing phones, syllables and Quebec French words. We use it to construct stimuli, but the database is on open-access! Would you like to know what is the most common word? The most used syllable? To know those answers, visit the project’s website (lien).