1985 — 1992 |
Neely, Stephen T |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Mathematical Modeling of Cochlear Mechanics @ Father Flanagan's Boys'Home
The processes within the cochlea which enable it to achieve its high sensitivity and sharp frequency selectivity are still largely unknown. The primary goal of the research proposed here is to improve our understanding of cochlear function by developing a realistic mathematical model of cochlear mechanics. This model development will involve the formulation of hypotheses concerning cochlear function which will be tested by comparing numerical solutions of the model with experimental observations published by other researchers. Among the major objectives are: 1) an investigation of the possible role that active elements within the cochlea may play in boosting the sensitivity and frequency selectivity and frequency selectivity of basilar membrane displacements; and 2) a description of the changes in model parameters that correlate with common hearing impairments or normal developmental gradients. A secondary goal of the proposed research is the development of computer algorithms which simulate the frequency analysis of the cochlea and are fast enough to be considered for use in applications such as speech spectrograms or cochlear implant prostheses.
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0.912 |
1995 — 1999 |
Neely, Stephen T |
P60Activity Code Description: To support a multipurpose unit designed to bring together into a common focus divergent but related facilities within a given community. It may be based in a university or may involve other locally available resources, such as hospitals, computer facilities, regional centers, and primate colonies. It may include specialized centers, program projects and projects as integral components. Regardless of the facilities available to a program, it usually includes the following objectives: to foster biomedical research and development at both the fundamental and clinical levels; to initiate and expand community education, screening, and counseling programs; and to educate medical and allied health professionals concerning the problems of diagnosis and treatment of a specific disease. |
Objective Assessment of Hearing Status @ Father Flanagan's Boys'Home
This project will focus on the objective assessment of hearing status using measurements of the auditory brainstem response (ABR). The goal is to provide the more reliable and complete information about auditory function based on analyses of ABR data. Both stimulus delivery and response evaluation aspects of ABR measurements will be addressed. This project proposes to (1) determine whether power or pressure is the more appropriate reference for specifying stimulus level, (2) establish test parameters for a recently developed ABR detection statistic called Scor, (3) develop an efficient threshold-search strategy that will allow automated estimation of ABR thresholds, (4) investigate possible improvements in both wideband and low-frequency stimuli, and (5) evaluate the effectiveness of automated ABR threshold estimation at predicting the occurrence and magnitude of hearing loss. These objectives will be accomplished through efforts directed toward (1) ABR measurement system software development, (2) refinement of signal processing algorithms, (3) ABR measurements from both normal hearing and hearing-impaired subjects, and (4) data analyses using principles of statistical decision theory. The results of these experiments will have both theoretical and practical significance and should increase the power of the ABR measurement as a tool for the assessment of auditory function. The work proposed in this project will lead to a more fundamental understanding of mathematical models of response detection. We have chosen to initiate these efforts with ABR measures which are the most reliable auditory evoked potentials in humans; however, this work has applications for other, less reliable evoked potentials that presumably assess higher levels of the human auditory system.
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0.912 |
2006 — 2010 |
Neely, Stephen T |
P30Activity Code Description: To support shared resources and facilities for categorical research by a number of investigators from different disciplines who provide a multidisciplinary approach to a joint research effort or from the same discipline who focus on a common research problem. The core grant is integrated with the center's component projects or program projects, though funded independently from them. This support, by providing more accessible resources, is expected to assure a greater productivity than from the separate projects and program projects. |
Lab Computing Core @ Father Flanagan's Boys'Home
The purpose of this core is to accelerate ongoing research at BTNRH by providing[unreadable] development, maintenance, troubleshooting, and consulting services related to laboratory[unreadable] hardware and software. Most of the research projects that constitute the research base for this[unreadable] core require the presentation and/or acquisition of digitized waveforms. Some of these research[unreadable] projects elicit behavioral, acoustical, and electrophysiological responses for the same auditory[unreadable] stimuli. In many instances, similar hypotheses are being evaluated using different approaches.[unreadable] The parallel nature of these research efforts produces considerable overlap in hardware and[unreadable] software needs. Another overlapping group of research projects requires support for specialpurpose[unreadable] database software. Our Laboratory Computing Facility, staffed by full-time technicians[unreadable] shared with individual R01s, serves many of the hardware and software needs of the research[unreadable] base, thereby enhancing productivity in these research projects. By maintaining familiarity with[unreadable] ongoing data acquisition efforts of the research base, Core technicians will identify common needs[unreadable] and promote a cooperative interaction among investigators. The Laboratory Computing Core[unreadable] allows BTNRH to maintain a higher level of laboratory hardware and software expertise than[unreadable] would otherwise be possible through the independent efforts of individual laboratories. The[unreadable] immediate availability of this expertise allows our investigators to have greater focus on scientific[unreadable] issues and pursue their research projects more efficiently. Software developed by Core[unreadable] technicians is made available to researchers at other institutions at no cost.
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0.912 |
2007 — 2021 |
Neely, Stephen T |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Cochlear Mechanics, Wave Propagation, and Compression @ Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed program of research will increase our knowledge of cochlear function through a combination of theoretical and empirical studies addressing fundamental processes in ways that have both basic and translational implications. The program focuses on two interrelated areas: (1) the level-dependence of cochlear delays and (2) the effect on cochlear response growth at a particular frequency due to the presence of suppressors at other frequencies. Suppression and level-dependent latency share a common mechanism that is primarily responsible for cochlear compression. These areas represent features of normal cochlear function that are affected by cochlear hearing loss and potentially may be remediated by external hearing aids that incorporate sophisticated signal-processing strategies. The first two Aims of the proposal are to further understand (1) cochlear-reflectance generation and (2) the latency and masking of cochlear transients. Cochlear reflectance is defined as a transfer function between pressure waves entering and exiting the cochlea, and has advantages over other measures of cochlear responses. The remaining Aims are to determine the influence of (3) high-frequency suppression on cochlear distortion generators and (4) low- frequency suppression on cochlear compression. Through the work related to these four Aims, questions that possess both basic scientific interest and applied clinical relevance wil be answered by combined application of measurement and modeling efforts.
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0.912 |
2011 |
Neely, Stephen T |
P30Activity Code Description: To support shared resources and facilities for categorical research by a number of investigators from different disciplines who provide a multidisciplinary approach to a joint research effort or from the same discipline who focus on a common research problem. The core grant is integrated with the center's component projects or program projects, though funded independently from them. This support, by providing more accessible resources, is expected to assure a greater productivity than from the separate projects and program projects. |
Laboratory Computing &Biostatistics Resource @ Father Flanagan's Boys'Home
CORE A: LABORATORY COMPUTING &BIOSTATISTICS CORE The purpose of this core is to increase the productivity of ongoing research at BTNRH by providing easier access to professionals with expertise related to laboratory computing and biostatistics. Most of the research projects that constitute the research base for this core require the presentation and/or acquisition of digitized waveforms. Some of these research projects elicit behavioral, acoustical, and electrophysiological responses for the same auditory stimuli. In many instances, similar hypotheses are being evaluated using different approaches. The parallel nature of these research efforts produces considerable overlap in hardware and software needs. Our existing Laboratory Computing Facility is staffed by full-time technicians who split their effort between this Core and individual ROIs. These technicians provide many of the hardware and software needs of the research base, thereby enhancing productivity in these research projects. By maintaining familiarity with ongoing data acquisition efforts of the research base, Core technicians are in an ideal position to identify common needs and promote a cooperative interaction among investigators. Software developed by Core technicians is made available to researchers at other institutions at no cost. Our proposed Biostatistics Resource will provide onsite access a to a PhD statistician who will provide advice on the implementation of modern statistical methods. The Laboratory Computing &Biostatistics Core allows BTNRH to maintain a higher level of computing-related and statistical expertise than would otherwise be possible through the independent efforts of individual laboratories. The immediate accessibility of this expertise allows our investigators to have greater focus on scientific issues and pursue their research projects more efficiently. As part of the expanded Core Center for Communication Disorders, services will be provided to members of the research base at neighboring institutions.
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0.912 |
2012 — 2015 |
Neely, Stephen T |
P30Activity Code Description: To support shared resources and facilities for categorical research by a number of investigators from different disciplines who provide a multidisciplinary approach to a joint research effort or from the same discipline who focus on a common research problem. The core grant is integrated with the center's component projects or program projects, though funded independently from them. This support, by providing more accessible resources, is expected to assure a greater productivity than from the separate projects and program projects. |
Laboratory Computing & Biostatistics Resource @ Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
CORE A: LABORATORY COMPUTING & BIOSTATISTICS CORE The purpose of this core is to increase the productivity of ongoing research at BTNRH by providing easier access to professionals with expertise related to laboratory computing and biostatistics. Most of the research projects that constitute the research base for this core require the presentation and/or acquisition of digitized waveforms. Some of these research projects elicit behavioral, acoustical, and electrophysiological responses for the same auditory stimuli. In many instances, similar hypotheses are being evaluated using different approaches. The parallel nature of these research efforts produces considerable overlap in hardware and software needs. Our existing Laboratory Computing Facility is staffed by full-time technicians who split their effort between this Core and individual ROIs. These technicians provide many of the hardware and software needs of the research base, thereby enhancing productivity in these research projects. By maintaining familiarity with ongoing data acquisition efforts of the research base, Core technicians are in an ideal position to identify common needs and promote a cooperative interaction among investigators. Software developed by Core technicians is made available to researchers at other institutions at no cost. Our proposed Biostatistics Resource will provide onsite access a to a PhD statistician who will provide advice on the implementation of modern statistical methods. The Laboratory Computing & Biostatistics Core allows BTNRH to maintain a higher level of computing-related and statistical expertise than would otherwise be possible through the independent efforts of individual laboratories. The immediate accessibility of this expertise allows our investigators to have greater focus on scientific issues and pursue their research projects more efficiently. As part of the expanded Core Center for Communication Disorders, services will be provided to members of the research base at neighboring institutions.
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0.912 |
2021 |
Neely, Stephen T |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Understanding Suprathreshold Hearing Deficits @ Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) can occur as a result of dysfunction of outer hair cells, inner hair cells, auditory-nerve fibers or synapses. However, standard clinical techniques are limited in their ability to differentiate these dysfunctions because they focus on threshold elevation and thus provide insufficient information about suprathreshold auditory dysfunction, which has greater ecological validity than threshold elevation. SNHL that does not elevate thresholds, and therefore would be missed by standard clinical techniques, is sometimes referred to as ?hidden hearing loss? (HHL). Recent animal studies suggest that noise-induced synaptopathy may underlie HHL and may be the cause of suprathreshold hearing deficits, such as difficulty understanding speech in noise. However, there is limited research to support the diagnosis of HHL in humans beyond reports that some individuals have suprathreshold hearing deficits that cannot be predicted from their audiograms. Understanding HHL in humans will require the use of measurements of auditory function that are specific to the location of the dysfunction in the auditory pathway, including the specific group of auditory-nerve fibers (low vs. high spontaneous-rate fibers) underlying the dysfunction. The long-term goals of this research program are to improve our understanding of suprathreshold hearing deficits and to develop intervention strategies that ameliorate these deficits. The immediate goal of this proposal is to establish a theoretical framework for the development of diagnostic methods for HHL in humans. Unfortunately, a ?gold standard? does not exist because synaptopathy cannot be directly observed in humans. Consequently, our approach is to develop a statistical model of HHL that describes the relationship and interdependence between specific behavioral and physiological measures of auditory function that are thought to be indicative of HHL and measures that reflect the functional integrity of sites along the auditory pathway. The goal will be achieved by pursuing three aims: (1) Develop a statistical model of HHL for individuals with normal hearing, (2) Develop a statistical model of HHL for individuals with clinical hearing loss caused by noise exposure, and (3) Validate a predictive model of HHL and demonstrate its relation to speech understanding in noise. We will establish a functional definition of HHL as a component of the variability in measures impacted by HHL that is not due to audiometric threshold. We will then create a statistical model that relates this estimate of HHL to measures that reflect sites of dysfunction along the auditory pathway. Through the aims, we will test the hypothesis that HHL accounts for some of the variability in suprathreshold measures of auditory function. The proposed research will lead to evidence-based models of suprathreshold auditory dysfunction that are capable of predicting hearing deficits, provide further insights into suprathreshold auditory deficits and improve our understanding of potential mechanisms underlying hearing and listening difficulties. The ability to diagnose HHL in the clinic will usher in new methods for clinical evaluation and may lead to better remediation techniques of hearing loss.
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0.912 |