Research in NIDCD mission areas is expanding at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). Since 2005, UCI has sponsored interactions and interdisciplinary collaborations among a group of over 20 faculty who comprise the Center for Hearing Research (CHR). The potential for interdisciplinary work is substantial, with faculty spanning 11 Departments in 5 Schools at UCI performing research in NIDCD mission areas. For these investigators, CHR has established a UC Irvine Core Center for Hearing and Communication Research to: 1) facilitate ongoing research by consolidating resources and providing access to state-of-the-art technology, 2) promote interdisciplinary work by educating users about Core facilities and providing expert assistance, and 3) recruit investigators from diverse backgrounds to research in NIDCD mission areas. There are two Core facilities: 1) The Imaging Core provides a 2-photon imaging system for visualizing neurons and real-time neural activity in live, including in vivo, or fixed, tissue. The system enables new kinds of Experiments, e.g., examining activity simultaneously in many neurons, or over time during development. An imaging specialist facilitates the integration of this technology into existing research programs and among users from multiple disciplines. 2) The Computing and Engineering Core provides signal processing and electronic systems support for physiological and behavior research. The Development of common signal processing algorithms will promote interdisciplinary collaborations (e.g., between physiological and behavioral projects) and facilitate data sharing. Core personnel conduct a lecture series to familiarize new researchers with the engineering technologies used in core users'laboratories. The two Cores interact with each other extensively, and with other P30 cores regionally and nationally. These shared facilities enhance ongoing research at UCI and accelerate the trend towards interdisciplinary research in NIDCD mission areas. The resulting synergy among disciplines is critical for a fuller understanding of communication and communication disorders.

Public Health Relevance

The rapid pace of scientific discovery in Hearing Research increasingly calls for interdisciplinary and collaborative work. The UC Irvine Core Center for Hearing and Communication Research facilitates such work by providing state-of-the-art tools and expertise to investigators that complement their own skills. The resulting synergy has proven to be efficient and productive.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Center Core Grants (P30)
Project #
2P30DC008369-06
Application #
8270714
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZDC1-SRB-Y (58))
Program Officer
Platt, Christopher
Project Start
2006-07-01
Project End
2017-03-31
Budget Start
2012-04-01
Budget End
2013-03-31
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$234,176
Indirect Cost
$130,702
Name
University of California Irvine
Department
Other Basic Sciences
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
046705849
City
Irvine
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92697
Askew, Caitlin; Intskirveli, Irakli; Metherate, Raju (2017) Systemic Nicotine Increases Gain and Narrows Receptive Fields in A1 via Integrated Cortical and Subcortical Actions. eNeuro 4:
Zeng, Fan-Gang (2017) Challenges in Improving Cochlear Implant Performance and Accessibility. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 64:1662-1664
Huang, Juan; Sheffield, Benjamin; Lin, Payton et al. (2017) Electro-Tactile Stimulation Enhances Cochlear Implant Speech Recognition in Noise. Sci Rep 7:2196
Dimitrijevic, Andrew; Alsamri, Jamal; John, M Sasha et al. (2016) Human Envelope Following Responses to Amplitude Modulation: Effects of Aging and Modulation Depth. Ear Hear 37:e322-35
Intskirveli, Irakli; Joshi, Anar; Vizcarra-Chacón, Bianca Julieta et al. (2016) Spectral breadth and laminar distribution of thalamocortical inputs to A1. J Neurophysiol 115:2083-94
Askew, Caitlin E; Metherate, Raju (2016) Synaptic interactions and inhibitory regulation in auditory cortex. Biol Psychol 116:4-9
Zeng, Fan-Gang; Djalilian, Hamid; Lin, Harrison (2015) Tinnitus treatment with precise and optimal electric stimulation: opportunities and challenges. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 23:382-7
Pham, Carol Q; Bremen, Peter; Shen, Weidong et al. (2015) Central Auditory Processing of Temporal and Spectral-Variance Cues in Cochlear Implant Listeners. PLoS One 10:e0132423
Rotschafer, Sarah E; Marshak, Sonya; Cramer, Karina S (2015) Deletion of Fmr1 alters function and synaptic inputs in the auditory brainstem. PLoS One 10:e0117266
Wynne, Dwight P; George, Sahara E; Zeng, Fan-Gang (2015) Amplitude modulation reduces loudness adaptation to high-frequency tones. J Acoust Soc Am 138:279-83

Showing the most recent 10 out of 51 publications