Hearing loss is one of the most common sensory disabilities, with 350 million people worldwide suffering from hearing impairment. Unfortunately, the development of intervention strategies for overcoming the effects of sensory impairment is hampered by limited understanding of both how the normal inner ear processes environmentally relevant sounds and how disruptions in this processing can be identified and diagnosed.
Thus, in our lab we aim to advance this knowledge by studying how the cochlea of the inner ear processes both simple and environmentally relevant sounds. We utilize approaches that combine both direct (e.g., intracochlear vibrometry) and indirect (e.g., otoacoustic emissions, electrophysiology) measurements of cochlear responses with theoretical modeling. Joint intracochlear and otoacoustic emission/electrophysiological studies informed by theoretical models are crucial for improving the power of diagnostics in humans, where the cochlea cannot be accessed for a direct study.
