Development of medial efferent mechanisms in children

项目摘要/摘要 传出反馈--外围声音编码的一个标志--在听觉中起着关键作用 发育和可塑性，并提供了一种潜在的机制，最大限度地减少噪声诱导的耳蜗 突触和阈值以上的知觉缺陷。然而，我们对传出的知识 在人类身上发展的机制是极其有限的。这项研究的首要目标是 了解人类内侧传出机制的发展及其参与 听觉发育。拟议项目的目标是系统地调查 传出效应的时间特征的发展。我们的中心假设是孩子们 由于发育可塑性而表现出传出效应的发育性变化 脑干。我们的理论基础是，对传出神经如何工作和发展的详细了解将导致 更好地理解传出神经在听觉发育和知觉缺陷中的作用。这个 提出的项目有两个具体目标：1)确定传出敏感性的发展 时间涨落；以及2)确定儿童时间动力学的发展变化 传出效应。拟议的工作在概念上是创新的，因为它将提供关于 对儿童传出效应的发育方面知之甚少。该方法 将扫描音调的OAE测量与高级信号处理(时间- 频率分析)技术。拟议的研究将提供重要的新知识 关于传出神经如何在人类中发展，并对(1)理解 传出神经参与听阈值以上，(2)形成听觉发育理论，(3) 发展基于耳声发射的传出功能测试以预测噪声性听力易感性 (4)建立准确的听觉模型；(5)设计改进的听力装置 算法。首席调查员在目前的研究中具有开展此类研究的经验 环境。总的来说，拟议的项目将对我们对 人类传出系统及其发展，以及在儿科听力学领域。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT Efferent feedback—a hallmark of peripheral sound coding—plays a critical role in auditory development and plasticity and offers a potential mechanism for minimizing noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy and supra-threshold perceptual deficits. However, our knowledge of how efferent mechanisms develop in humans is extremely limited. The overarching goal of this research is to understand the development of medial efferent mechanisms in humans and their involvement in auditory development. The objective of the proposed project is to systematically investigate the development of the temporal features of efferent effects. Our central hypothesis is that children exhibit developmental changes in efferent effects as a result of developmental plasticity in the brainstem. Our rationale is that detailed knowledge of how efferents work and develop will lead to a better understanding of the role of efferents in auditory development and perceptual deficits. The proposed project has two specific aims: 1) To determine the development of the efferent sensitivity to temporal fluctuations; and 2) To determine the developmental changes in the temporal dynamics of efferent effects. The proposed work is conceptually innovative because it will provide information on the poorly-understood developmental aspects of efferent effects in the children. The approach involves a compelling mix of sweep-tone OAE measurements with advanced signal processing (time- frequency analysis) techniques. The proposed research will provide significant new knowledge regarding how efferents develop in humans, and has implications for (1) for understanding the involvement of efferents in supra-threshold hearing, (2) forming theories of auditory development, (3) developing OAE-based tests of efferent function for predicting susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss, (4) constructing accurate auditory models, and (5) designing improved hearing device algorithms. The principal investigator is experienced in conducting this kind of research in the current environment. Overall, the proposed project will make a sustained impact on our understanding of the human efferent system and its development, and on the field of pediatric audiology.