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

NIH Funding: $998,100