Environmental Noise Impacts on Neurophysiology of Hearing

Sound reception is a critical component of an animal’s ability to interact in their environment. We are interested in how environmental exposures to sounds that would not typically occur in nature (drilling, traffic noise, etc.) can impact the ability of an animal to receive sound location information and process it.

Our main questions center on how human acoustic noise impacts the reception of sound information in rodent species in Oklahoma. We measure these acoustic impacts through using brain anatomical, physiological, and behavioral approaches. Mentees will be given tools to develop research skills in environmental noise collection, measures of the nervous system, and skills for a successful career in the biological sciences.

 

Network Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth McCullagh