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Carolina Abdala, Ph.D. |
Research Overview
Primary research interests are the maturation of human auditory function and the physiological and behavioral methods used to investigate this maturational process.
In the past decade, the lab has studied cochlear frequency resolution, non-linearity and the regulation of cochlear function via the descending medial olivocochlear tract. Its primary investigative tool to study cochlear and olivocochlear function is the otoacoustic emission (OAE). Otoacoustic emissions are manifestations of biologic amplification processes active in the healthy cochlea and their measurement and analysis allows for non-invasive exploration of cochlear physiology in humans. There are several types of OAEs, but the one used primarily in this laboratory is the distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE). Although we mainly use DPOAEs as a technique to study auditory changes associated with age, they can also serve to elucidate poorly understood cochlear processes and features such as basilar membrane motion, spread of energy on the basilar membrane and cochlear amplification. As such, we have developed innovative OAE paradigms to probe these questions and, along with renown collaborators, have begun to explore theories of OAE generation and initiate work in cochlear modeling.
Although the focus of our work has been maturation of auditory physiology, the most recent work in the lab includes geriatric subjects, not just newborns. We are interested in tracking changes in peripheral auditory function throughout the human lifespan, rather than focus only on maturation in infancy. Also explored is the impact immaturity and aging-related dysfunction in peripheral auditory function can have on perception. We have expanded our methodology to include behavioral assessments of speech perception using custom-designed software to address this intriguing question. Research is supported by the NIH, National Institutes of Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and the House Ear Institute.
Selected Publications
Abdala C, Fitzgerald TS. Ipsilateral distortion product otoacoustic emission (2f1-f2) suppression in children with sensorineural hearing loss. 2003 Aug. J Acoust Soc Am. (114): 919-31. PMID:
Chen P, Zindy F, Abdala C, Liu F, Li X, Roussel MF, Segil N. Progressive hearing loss in mice lacking the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Ink4d. 2003 May. Nat Cell Biol. (5): 422-6. PMID:
Abdala C, Mishra SK, Williams TL. Considering distortion product otoacoustic emission fine structure in measurements of the medial olivocochlear reflex. 2009 Mar. J Acoust Soc Am. (125): 1584-94. PMID:
Dhar S, Abdala C. A comparative study of distortion-product-otoacoustic-emission fine structure in human newborns and adults with normal hearing. 2007 Oct. J Acoust Soc Am. (122): 2191-202. PMID:
Abdala C, Keefe DH. Effects of middle-ear immaturity on distortion product otoacoustic emission suppression tuning in infant ears. 2006 Dec. J Acoust Soc Am. (120): 3832-42. PMID: