Timothy Balmer, Ph.D., Oregon Health & Science University
Research topic: Chronic transmitter exposure in excitatory neurons of the cochlear nucleus generates persistent excitation and could underlie tinnitus
Long-term goal: To investigate whether problems with the chronic transmitter exposure of unipolar brush cells (specialized nerve cells that amplify auditory signals and send them to the cochlear nucleus in the brainstem) may be a cause of tinnitus. Understanding if hyperactivity of the cochlear nucleus is a factor leading to tinnitus will eventually help the development of clinical tinnitus treatments.
Published Research
Vestibular organ dissection and whole-mount immunolabeling in mouse, Bio-Protocol, 2022.
Descending axonal projections from the inferior colliculus target nearly all excitatory and inhibitory cell types of the dorsal cochlear nucleus, Journal of Neuroscience, 2022.
Incomplete removal of extracellular glutamate controls synaptic transmission and integration at a cerebellar synapse, eLife, 2021.
Trigeminal contributions to the dorsal cochlear nucleus in mouse, Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2021.
TrkB activation during a critical period mimics the protective effects of early visual experience on perception and the stability of receptive fields in adult superior colliculus, Journal of Neuroscience, 2019.
Selective targeting of unipolar brush cell subtypes by cerebellar mossy fibers, eLife, 2019.
Rapid rebalancing of excitation and inhibition by cortical circuitry, Neuron, 2018.
NIH Funding: $998,100
Identification of inputs to unipolar brush cells and their roles in multisensory processing, NIDCD, $249,000 awarded in 2023.
Identification of inputs to unipolar brush cells and their roles in multisensory processing, NIDCD, $249,000 awarded in 2022.
Identification of inputs to unipolar brush cells and their roles in multisensory processing, NIDCD, $249,000 awarded in 2021.
Identification of inputs to unipolar brush cells and their roles in multisensory processing, NIDCD, $125,550 awarded in 2020.
Identification of inputs to unipolar brush cells and their roles in multisensory processing, NIDCD, $125,550 awarded in 2019.
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