GDNF (glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor), neurturin and artemin use their co-receptors (GFRα1, GFRα2 and GFRα3, respectively) and the tyrosine kinase Ret for downstream signaling. In rodent dorsal root ganglia ...

Retinal prostheses can provide artificial vision to patients with degenerate retinae by electrically stimulating the remaining inner retinal neurons. The evoked perception is generally adequate for light localization, but ...

Gene therapy has been investigated as a way to introduce a variety of genes to treat neurological disorders. An important clinical consideration is its long-term effectiveness. This research aims to study the long-term ...

According to 2010 estimates from The National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders, approximately 17% (36 million) American adults have reported some degree of hearing loss. Currently, the only clinical ...

After more than 40 years of research, visual prostheses are moving from the laboratory into the clinic. These devices are designed to provide prosthetic vision to the blind by stimulating localized neural populations in ...

Our ability to listen selectively to single sound sources in complex auditory environments is termed "auditory stream segregation."This ability is affected by peripheral disorders such as hearing loss, as well as plasticity ...

Central auditory processing has been reported to be impaired in schizophrenia patients who experience auditory hallucinations, and interhemispheric transfer in auditory circuits may be compromised. In this study, we used ...

Extended periods of deafness have profound effects on central auditory system function and organization. Neonatal deafening results in loss of the normal cochleotopic organization of the primary auditory cortex (AI), but ...

We have previously shown that neonatal deafness of 7-13 months duration leads to loss of cochleotopy in the primary auditory cortex (AI) that can be reversed by cochlear implant use. Here we describe the effects of a similar ...