Project Grant R01DC023946
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded the University of Texas at Austin $382,867 on September 1, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173). The award funds research on dendritic integration and synaptic plasticity in the medial superior olive (MSO), the first critical stage for processing interaural time differences—temporal cues the brain uses for horizontal sound localization and speech perception in...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded the University of Texas at Austin $192,953 on September 1, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to investigate the role of extended high frequencies on speech perception challenges in aging. The research addresses a critical gap in clinical audiology: many adults experience difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments by midlife despite normal results on...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded the University of North Texas Research and Innovation Division $535,758 on May 1, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to develop a dynamic hypothermia protocol for hearing loss prevention. The recipient will conduct computational modeling, experimental validation, and device development to design a non-invasive cooling strategy targeting noise-induced hearing...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded the University of Texas at Austin $439,875 on July 10, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to develop an in vivo cell labeling system in Mongolian gerbils linking sensory perception to underlying brain circuitry in sound localization. The research focuses on the superior olivary complex, specifically the medial and lateral superior olive nuclei that process...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded New York University $135,972 on July 1, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to investigate neural computations underlying intensity perception across sensory systems. The award funds research combining behavioral measures and neural recordings to advance understanding of how intensity perception is encoded across unimodal and multimodal olfactory and auditory...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded Creighton University $161,405 on July 1, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to investigate how noise-induced hearing loss alters the auditory efferent system and contributes to central auditory hyperactivity. The research examines lateral olivocochlear neurons, the most abundant efferent neurons responsible for brain-to-ear feedback and hearing protection after...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded Baylor College of Medicine $684,114 on August 21, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to investigate how the dorsal cochlear nucleus, the brainstem circuit responsible for localizing sounds in the vertical plane, integrates multimodal sensory inputs—including ear movement, head movement, and neuromodulatory signals reflecting brain state—during active behavior...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded the University of Texas at Dallas $416,155 on September 1, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to investigate neural mechanisms supporting naturalistic dyadic interactions in young adults with developmental language disorder (DLD) using high-density diffuse optical tomography. The research examines interindividual neural synchronization in language networks...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary $467,323 on July 10, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to investigate auditory-arousal circuits in normal and disordered hearing. The project characterizes central auditory function across all brain states, including sleep, and relates arousal dysregulation to the degree of auditory perceptual gain in subjects with hearing...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded Northeast Ohio Medical University $132,486 on August 1, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173). The award funds investigation of inhibitory nuclei within the trapezoid body and their roles in sound localization, addressing deficits in spatial hearing that commonly accompany age-related hearing loss and neurodevelopmental disorders. The project integrates...
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded $494,030 to the University of Texas at Dallas on September 1, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to develop objective biomarkers for hyperacusis in children. Hyperacusis, a condition affecting up to 17% of children in which everyday sounds become unbearably loud, uncomfortable, distressing, or painful, currently lacks sensitive clinical diagnostic tools and evidence-based treatments. The project combines behavioral and electrophysiological assays to establish objective biomarkers that can elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms of hyperacusis and be adapted for clinical practice. Aim 1 will establish behavioral and neural biomarkers of loudness hypersensitivity by characterizing loudness perception and cortical sound-level coding via electroencephalography across a range of comfortable sound levels. Aim 2 will establish behavioral and autonomic biomarkers of sound-induced emotional reactivity. The research is grounded in the central gain model of hyperacusis, which posits that loudness hypersensitivity and heightened emotional reactions to sound arise from sound-evoked neural hyperexcitability in the central nervous system. Performance occurs in Dallas, Texas. The award period runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2031.
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $494.0k | 8/21/26 |