OBJECTIVE MEASURES IN AUDITORY IMPLANTS 6TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

描述(由申请人提供)：听觉植入物的客观测量第六届国际研讨会将于2010年9月23-25日在密苏里州圣路易斯市华盛顿大学医学院举行。这个应用程序需要部分资金来支持国内特邀演讲者的旅费和住宿费、学生旅行奖励，并在研讨会期间提供实时字幕。这次会议将汇集人工耳蜗和邻近学科领域的研究人员和临床医生，他们采用包括电生理学和成像技术在内的一系列客观措施，研究耳聋和通过电刺激恢复听力的效果。人工耳蜗植入目前被认为是聋人的标准护理，然而结果的可变性很大，而且人们对此知之甚少。1995年美国国立卫生研究院发起的关于人工耳蜗术的共识声明包括强调研究更高水平的认知过程的作用，大脑的神经成像以探索中枢听觉系统，以及神经活动和听觉感知之间的关系。14年后，表现的变异性仍然无法解释，从外周到皮质的听觉可塑性研究仍然是推动这一领域发展的关键。此外，进一步开发客观的方法来评估功能和促进儿科人群中植入系统的适配是有必要的。研讨会的总体目标是在与会者之间分享、扩展和产生研究和临床想法，以提高对人工耳蜗植入患者的神经生理学和行为结果的理解，最终可能改善患者的表现。这个会议提案的具体目的是：1)提供一个讨论最新工作的途径，使用外围和皮质的客观测量；2)允许科学家和临床医生之间交换想法，他们主要专注于使用成像技术与科学家和临床医生，他们使用电生理学技术来研究听觉系统对电刺激的反应；以及3)让学生和新的研究人员有机会向经验丰富的研究人员学习并建立网络。从提交的摘要中选出的受邀演讲者(各自研究领域的专家)和演讲者将参加计划中的五个会议之一：1)外围产生的电诱发电位；2)使用成像/电生理技术的外周电极/神经接口；3)中心产生的电诱发听觉电位；4)中心产生的成像技术；以及5)推动边界-新应用。 与公共健康相关：这项提案寻求为一次研讨会提供部分资金，该研讨会将科学家和临床医生聚集在一起，分享和产生研究和临床想法，以提高对耳聋患者听力系统的了解。特别是，研讨会将重点研究人工耳蜗植入患者从内耳到大脑的听力系统的研究方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Objective Measures in Auditory Implants 6th International Symposium will be held September 23-25, 2010 in St. Louis, MO at the Washington University School of Medicine. This application requests partial funds to support travel and lodging costs for domestic invited speakers, student travel awards, and to provide real-time captioning during the symposium. The conference will bring together researchers and clinicians in the field of cochlear implants and neighboring disciplines who employ a range of objective measures, including both electrophysiology and imaging techniques, to study the effects of deafness and restoration of hearing via electrical stimulation. Cochlear implantation is currently considered the standard of care for individuals who are deaf, however variability in outcomes is large and poorly understood. The 1995 NIH sponsored Consensus Statement on Cochlear Implants included an emphasis on studying the role of higher level cognitive processes, on neuroimaging of the brain to explore the central auditory system, and on the relationship between neural activity and auditory perception. Fourteen years later, variability in performance remains unexplained and research in auditory plasticity from the periphery to the cortex is still critically needed to advance the field. In addition, further development of objective methods to evaluate function and facilitate fitting of implant systems in pediatric populations is warranted. The Overall Goal of the symposium is to share, expand and generate research and clinical ideas among attendees to improve understanding of neurophysiology and behavioral outcomes in cochlear implant patients which ultimately may improve patient performance. The Specific Aims of this conference proposal are to 1) provide an avenue for discussion of the latest work using objective measures at the periphery and the cortex, 2) allow for the exchange of ideas between scientists and clinicians who focus primarily on the use of imaging techniques with scientists and clinicians whose use electrophysiologic techniques to study the response of the auditory system to electrical stimuli, and 3) allow students and new investigators an opportunity to learn from and network with experienced investigators. Invited Speakers (experts in their respective areas of study) and presenters selected from submitted abstracts will participate in one of five planned sessions: 1) Peripherally-Generated, Electrically Evoked Potentials; 2) Peripheral Electrode/Nerve Interface Using Imaging/Electrophysiologic Techniques; 3) Centrally-Generated, Electrically Evoked Auditory Potentials; 4) Centrally- Generated, Imaging Techniques; and 5) Pushing the Boundaries-New Applications. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This proposal seeks partial funding for a symposium to bring together scientists and clinicians to share and generate research and clinical ideas to improve understanding of the hearing system in people with deafness. In particular, the symposium will focus on methods to study the hearing system from the inner ear to the brain of cochlear implant patients.