Development of medial efferent mechanisms in children

项目总结/摘要 传出反馈是外周声音编码的一个标志， 发展和可塑性，并提供了一个潜在的机制，最大限度地减少噪音引起的耳蜗 突触病和阈上知觉缺陷。然而，我们对传出神经 在人类身上发展的机制是非常有限的。这项研究的首要目标是 了解人类中间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。我们的核心假设是， 在传出效应中表现出发育性变化，这是发育可塑性的结果。 脑干我们的基本原理是，详细了解传出神经如何工作和发展将导致一个 更好地理解传出神经在听觉发育和知觉缺陷中的作用。的 建议的项目有两个具体目标：1）确定传出敏感性的发展， 时间波动;和2）为了确定时间动态的发展变化， 传出效应拟议的工作在概念上是创新的，因为它将提供以下信息： 对儿童传出效应的发展方面了解甚少。的方法 包括一个引人注目的组合扫描音OAE测量与先进的信号处理（时间， 频率分析）技术。这项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 传出神经参与阈上听觉，（2）形成听觉发育理论，（3） 开发基于OAE的传出功能测试，用于预测对噪声诱发听力的敏感性 损失，（4）构建准确的听觉模型，（5）设计改进的听力设备 算法主要研究者在当前进行此类研究方面经验丰富。 环境总体而言，拟议项目将对我们对 人类传出神经系统及其发育，以及小儿听力学领域。

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.