Carolyn Kroger, Ph.D.
Kresge Hearing Research Institute
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
University of Michigan
Auditory and Motor Timing in Healthy Aging and Neurological Disorders
Perception and action are fundamentally shaped by time. Precise timing allows us to integrate sensory information, understand speech, and coordinate movement. With healthy aging and in many neurological disorders, these timing processes become less reliable, contributing to difficulties in communication, motor control, and overall quality of life. My research investigates how aging and neurological conditions alter time perception and motor coordination, and how these changes affect auditory processing and movement. Using interdisciplinary approaches such as psychophysics, motion tracking, behavioral modeling, and electroencephalography, I study the neural and behavioral mechanisms that support auditory and motor timing. My goal is to understand how these mechanisms are impacted by healthy aging, hearing loss, and motor disorders. In this talk, I will present two main lines of research, highlighting key findings from past and ongoing work. First, I will examine the role of temporal processing in auditory feature integration across the lifespan. Second, I will discuss how aging and neurological disorders affect rhythm perception and movement timing. I will conclude by outlining how my future work will advance our understanding of human timing in healthy older adults and inform rhythm-based interventions to improve speech and movement fluency in motor and communication disorders.