Sharlen Moore, Ph.D.

Meet the Researcher

Moore received her doctorate from the Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine in Germany. After postdoctoral work at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, she joined the Kuchibhotla Lab at Johns Hopkins University where she is now a postdoctoral fellow. Her 2023 Emerging Research Grant was generously funded by the Les Paul Foundation, renewed for a second year in 2024.

My doctoral research showed that oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cells of the central nervous system, are essential for auditory processing. Oligodendrocytes are a type of glial cell, which are cells that support neurons in the brain. They form a layer of insulation called myelin around nerve fibers, which helps to speed up the transmission of nerve impulses. This is important for many brain functions in health and disease.

The role of oligodendrocytes extends beyond just speeding up neuronal conduction velocity. Additionally, their metabolic functions and interplay with neurons ensure the healthy maintenance of circuits that require high temporal precision, such as the auditory system. My findings unveiled “tinnitus-like” phenotypes in animals with impaired oligodendrocytes, highlighting their significance in auditory function.

Glial cells play an active role in sensory processing, cognition, and behavior. As glial cells comprise at least half of the brain, overlooking their contribution in “neuro”sciences is a significant oversight. For this reason, I aim to take an integrative perspective to study them, monitoring the activity of both neurons and glial cells, embracing that multidimensionality as a feature of brain function.

From a young age, I was a very curious kid. Fortunately, I was awarded a scholarship to attend a unique school catering to Spanish Civil War refugees and their children. This school embraced an unconventional teaching method that fostered active learning where kids had agency in their growth process. The curriculum placed a strong emphasis on both sciences and arts, two subjects that I have always been passionate about. Science class had a “lab” component, and it was the class I would enjoy the most. This allowed me to channel my curiosity about biology into answers. Looking back, I believe this formative experience played a pivotal role in shaping my interest in science and setting me on the path toward a career in research.

At the age of 3, I played the piano with high proficiency because I had perfect pitch and the ability to replicate melodies upon hearing them for the first time. I have always cherished my love for music. In fact, my interest in auditory research has allowed me to join my two greatest passions in life: science and the arts.

Sharlen Moore, Ph.D., is a Les Paul Foundation award recipient. Hearing Health Foundation sincerely thanks the Les Paul Foundation for their ongoing commitment to research in the area of tinnitus.

Click to download this Meet the Researcher profile.

The Research

Johns Hopkins University

Modulation of neuro-glial cortical networks during tinnitus

Tinnitus can be conceived as a disorder in which auditory and non-auditory brain areas are dysregulated and hyperexcitable, leading to the constant perception of a sound not externally generated. Neuromodulatory areas that send widespread signals across the brain, have the potential to be responsible for this dysregulation as a change in gain or sensitivity. Targets of these neuromodulatory areas can be either neurons, or glial cells -which make up approximately half of the cells in our brain. These glial cells do not communicate through electric signals, but do receive similar inputs as neurons do, and also have the potential to modulate neuronal gain. This research will allow us to better understand the contribution of glial cells receiving inputs from long-range neuromodulatory centers, to an overall hyperexcitability phenotype in auditory regions that gives rise to the tinnitus percept.   

Long-term goal: To understand the complexity and temporal sequencing of tinnitus effectors with an integrative perspective, considering the interplay of the diverse cell types that might promote the development and maintenance of tinnitus to provide an updated interpretation of this disorder. Additionally, to use glial cells as a key therapeutic target to treat tinnitus.

Generously funded by the Les Paul Foundation