Abstract

This is a proposal to begin a new research venture in studies of auditory cortex, in a laboratory that has previously been exclusively working in the cochlear nucleus.
The aims of our exploration are threefold: (1) We will study synaptic function and connections between pairs of identified cortical neurons in auditory areas of the rat, using simultaneous intracellular recordings. (2) We will study long-term potentiation and depression of synaptic responses in the supragranular layers of primary and non-primary auditory cortex, with a particular focus on the timing relationship between synaptic activity and post-synaptic spiking, between pairs of identified cells. (3) We will examine changes in synaptic function from before the onset of hearing through early adulthood, to see whether synaptic plasticity is expressed differently during critical periods.
These aims take advantage of our existing technical expertise and hardware, develop additional experimental capabilities, and begin the exploration of a new class of problems in auditory information processing.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
5R21DC005459-02
Application #
6626286
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZDC1-SRB-A (32))
Program Officer
Luethke, Lynn E
Project Start
2002-04-15
Project End
2005-03-31
Budget Start
2003-04-01
Budget End
2005-03-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$72,750
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Department
Otolaryngology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
608195277
City
Chapel Hill
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27599

  Publications

Rao, Deepti; Basura, Gregory J; Roche, Joseph et al. (2010) Hearing loss alters serotonergic modulation of intrinsic excitability in auditory cortex. J Neurophysiol 104:2693-703
Heilmann, John; Miller, Jon F; Nockerts, Ann et al. (2010) Properties of the narrative scoring scheme using narrative retells in young school-age children. Am J Speech Lang Pathol 19:154-66
Pierpont, Elizabeth I; Weismer, Susan Ellis; Roberts, Amy E et al. (2010) The language phenotype of children and adolescents with Noonan syndrome. J Speech Lang Hear Res 53:917-32
Pierpont, Elizabeth I; Pierpont, Mary Ella; Mendelsohn, Nancy J et al. (2010) Effects of germline mutations in the Ras/MAPK signaling pathway on adaptive behavior: cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome and Noonan syndrome. Am J Med Genet A 152A:591-600
Roos, Elizabeth M; McDuffie, Andrea S; Weismer, Susan Ellis et al. (2008) A comparison of contexts for assessing joint attention in toddlers on the autism spectrum. Autism 12:275-91