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  • Neuroscience
  • Precision Health
  • Research Focus

    Keywords

  • Cochlear Implants
  • Auditory Neuroscience
  • Neuroengineering
  • Clinical Conditions

  • Deafness
  • Equipment & Techniques

  • Electroencephalography (EEG)
  • Statistical analysis
  • Signal processing
  • Computational modelling
  • Electrophysiological recording techniques
  • Behavioural analysis
  • Neuropsychological testing
  • Science Culture

  • Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing
  • Back

    Charlotte Garcia B.S., B.A., Ph.D.

    (she/her/hers)
    University Position
    Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellow

    Interests

    I am a Post-doctoral Research Associate in Dr. Bob Carlyon's lab working on psychophysical and electrophysiological markers of spatial selectivity and temporal auditory processing in cochlear implant users. Specifically, I am currently working on objective measures of cortical responses to sustained, fast-rate, amplitude-modulated electrical stimuli using both Electrocochleography (EEG) and cochlear implant reverse telemetry approaches via direct stimulation. The project is called 'ALternating Frequency Interleaved Electrical Stimulation,' or ALFIES, thusly named completely coincidentally identically to Bob's dog (Carlyon, et al 2021; Guérit et al 2023). I also completed my Ph.D. at the CBU, was funded jointly by the W. D. Armstrong Trust for projects focused on the application of engineering in medicine and the Cambridge Trust, and was supervised by Bob Carlyon, Manohar Bance and Richard Turner. My doctoral research was primarily focused on using objective measures for improving speech perception in poor-performing cochlear implant users and involved the development and validation of the Panoramic ECAP Method. This method uses various electrophysiological measurements of neural responsiveness through cochlear implants (these are called Electrically-Evoked Compound Action-Potentials or ECAPs) to estimate patient-specific patterns of neural activation. This provides two estimates describing the interaction between a specific patient's cochlea and their implant: neural responsiveness and current spread. I have a particular interest in applied research, and as a result have emphasized the engineering aspects of this project to develop a tool that is clinically viable; in addition to validating the model's accuracy, I have developed a rapid procedure called 'SpeedCAP' that enables the PECAP model to be executed in under 10 minutes. My research interests also include pitch and music perception in hearing impaired listeners using various auditory technology platforms. I hold a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and a B.A. in Music Theory & Cognition from Northwestern University (Chicago, USA), and prior to joining the CBU she worked as a Biomedical Engineer in the healthcare industry developing and implementing multivariate process control systems for radio-frequency welding processes. I am a recipient of the Centre for Integrative Neurosciences Discovery (CIND)'s 2023 Early Career Researcher Award for her project entitled 'Personalising Cochlear Implant Healthcare: Translating the Panoramic ECAP Method from laboratory to clinic.' I am also the incoming chair of the MRC Cognition & Brain Science Unit's Equality and Diversity Committee from 2024.

    Key Publications

    The Panoramic ECAP Method: Estimating Patient-Specific Patterns of Current Spread and Neural Health in Cochlear Implant Users.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s10162-021-00795-2
    Journal: J Assoc Res Otolaryngol
    E-pub date: 1 Oct 2021
    Authors: C Garcia, T Goehring, S Cosentino, RE Turner, JM Deeks, T Brochier, T Rughooputh, M Bance, RP Carlyon

    SpeedCAP: An Efficient Method for Estimating Neural Activation Patterns Using Electrically Evoked Compound Action-Potentials in Cochlear Implant Users

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001305
    Journal: Ear and Hearing
    Year: 2023
    Authors: Charlotte Garcia; John M Deeks; Tobias Goehring; Daniele Borsetto; Manohar Bance; Robert P Carlyon

    Publications

    Tissue-Engineered Cochlear Fibrosis Model Links Complex Impedance to Fibrosis Formation for Cochlear Implant Patients.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202300732
    Journal: Adv Healthc Mater
    E-pub date: 1 Sep 2023
    Authors: SR de Rijk, AJ Boys, IV Roberts, C Jiang, C Garcia, RM Owens, M Bance

    Detection of Extracochlear Electrodes Using Stimulation-Current- Induced Non-Stimulating Electrode Voltage Recordings With Different Electrode Designs.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1097/MAO.0000000000003512
    Journal: Otol Neurotol
    E-pub date: 1 Jun 2022
    Authors: SR de Rijk, A Hammond-Kenny, YC Tam, ST Eitutis, C Garcia, RP Carlyon, M Bance

    Evaluating and Comparing Behavioural and Electrophysiological Estimates of Neural Health in Cochlear Implant Users.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s10162-020-00773-0
    Journal: J Assoc Res Otolaryngol
    E-pub date: 1 Feb 2021
    Authors: T Brochier, F Guérit, JM Deeks, C Garcia, M Bance, RP Carlyon