Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Rutgers The State University of New Jersey's Robert Wood Johnson Health Sciences School of Nursing received a $542,818 Project Grant award from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173). The award, effective August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2031, funds research investigating the neural mechanisms by which noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) impairs auditory decision-making. The project will deliver empirical research findings through two primary research aims: (1) determining whether NIHL disrupts auditory encoding across the auditory cortex to parietal cortex pathway using multichannel electrode arrays, fluorescent calcium imaging, optogenetics, and cochlear structural analysis in animal models performing auditory decision-making tasks; and (2) testing whether NIHL reduces top-down modulation from parietal cortex to auditory cortex using chemogenetics combined with multichannel electrophysiology to establish causal relationships in neural circuits.

This research directly addresses NIDCD's mission to investigate solutions for hearing disorders affecting approximately one in four U.S. adults. The project will generate peer-reviewed scientific publications, neurophysiological data, and methodological innovations applicable to understanding cognitive dysfunction associated with hearing impairment. Work will be performed at the awardee's Newark, New Jersey location, with findings contributing to the broader NIH research portfolio on deafness and communication disorders.