Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group

My thesis was focused on research of auditory perception using event-related brain potentials (ERPs). We studied the processing of abstract invariance in human adults and newborns. Thanks to a study in collaboration with the Cognitive Brain Research Unit ( University of Helsinki , Finland ), we know that the human newborn brain can extract the abstract invariance of pitch ascension from a varying sound input. This ability for auditory abstraction may be crucial for speech and music perception. Since ERPs may be used as precursors of a behavior before it is overtly manifested they are a promising tool for the research on newborn cognition and for the assessment of normal and abnormal development even before it is behaviorally identifiable.

I am currently interested in research concerning clinical and social applications.

Education

September 1997-June 2001	Degree in Psychology (Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona ).
November 2001-October 2003	Master degree in Neuroscience (Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona): “Auditory event-related potentials as a function of abstract change magnitude and direction”.
October 2003-January 2007	Phd in Neuroscience (Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona ): “Electrophysiology of abstract auditory processing in human adults and newborns”.

Research grants
2001 (January-June)	Collaboration grant in the project: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: neuroelectric characterization of attentional dysfunctions (Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, PM99-0167)
2001 (August-October)	Interchange grant in clinical psychology-neuropsychology research and teaching with the Baja California Norte University, Mexico (B.O.E. nº 87 de 2001/04/11)
2002-2006	Pre-doctoral fellowship supported by the Catalan Government

Publications

Papers

Carral V., Huotilainen M., Ruusuvirta T., Fellman, V., Näätänen R., Escera C (2005). A kind of “primitive intelligence” already present at birth. European Journal of Neuroscience, 21: 3201-3204.

Carral V., Corral M.J., Escera C (2005). Auditory event-related potentials as a function of abstract change magnitude. Neuroreport, 16: 301-305.

Carral V., Escera C. Electrophysiology evidence of spectral range detectors in the human brain. Submitted.

Abstracts and proceedings

Carral V., Corral M.J., Amenedo E., Escera C. Event-related potentials as a function of auditory abstract change magnitude: a parametric study. The Evoked Potentials International Conference XIV Leipzig, 28-31 March 2004.

Carral V., Huotilainen M., Ruusuvirta T., Näätänen R., Escera C. Modelling of abstract acoustic regularities in the human new-born brain: an evoked potential study. 35th Annual General Meeting of the European Brain and Behaviour Society. Barcelona, 17-20 September 2003.

Carral, V., Yago, E., Corbera, S., Corral, M.J., Escera, C. (2003). Involuntary orienting of attention is modulated by novelty significance. Journal of Psychophysiology, 17, 46.

Corral MJ., Yago E., Carral, V. & Escera C. (2001) Changes in frequency, duration or intensity of the auditory input trigger involuntary switches of attention: A behavioral and event-related brain potential study. En E. Sommerfeld, R. Kompass & T. Lachmann (Eds). Fechner Day 2001 (pp. 338-342). Leipzig: Pabst.

Escera, C., Yago, E., Corral, M.J., Corbera, S. & Carral, V. (2002). Activation of cerebral networks underlying involuntary attention by neural mechanisms in the auditory cortex. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 45, 59.

Corral, MJ., Yago, E., Carral, V. & Escera, C. (2001). Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence of orienting of attention towards auditory frequency, intensity and duration changes. Psychophysiology, 38, Suppl. 1, S33.