The goal of the proposal is to organize an international symposium to synthesize and review the findings and issues related to neural plasticity, reorganization and sensory cell regeneration in the auditory system. The proposed symposium will be organized in conjunction with Dr. Vittorio Colletti (University of Verona, Italy) who will solicit financial support for approximately half the conference from European organizations. The conference will focus on three important areas of research which represent key elements in National Strategic Plan for Research at NIDCD. The three topics are: (1) hair cell regeneration (2) the reorganization of the central auditory pathway following damage to the auditory periphery and (3) the """"""""toughening"""""""" of the auditory system that occurs with repeated exposures to noise exposure. These three topics focus on the ability of the auditory system to respond to stress and trauma and compensate for damage to the peripheral auditory system. The goal of the symposium is to provide a comprehensive, up to date review of advances made in each of these areas, to elucidate the basic underlying mechanisms involved and to discuss the interrelationship of the findings and their clinical implications. The three day conference will consist of a series of lectures and poster sessions. The conference will take place near Trento, Italy in September, 1993. Conference participants will submit chapters synthesizing the progress and advances made in their area of expertise. The chapters will be edited and published as a book so that the proceedings of the symposium can be made widely available to a scientists, clinicians, administrators and student in the field.
