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Investigating human non-lemniscal inferior colliculus contributions to auditory learning with 7T MRI

Award Number: K01DC019421
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/16/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2027

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Investigating human non-lemniscal inferior colliculus contributions to auditory learning with 7T MRI - PROJECT SUMMARY Human inferior colliculus (IC) plays a critical role in auditory processing. However, the anatomy and function of the lemniscal (primary) and non-lemniscal subdivisions of IC in living humans are poorly understood due to the technical challenges of in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the small midbrain structures deep within the brain. In particular, despite predominant top-down and bottom-up theories of auditory learning, the neural systems underlying human speech category learning is unknown. Recent advances in MRI acquisition open the door for focused investigations into the anatomy and functional processing of human auditory midbrain. My research environment and mentor team will allow me to gain the expertise necessary to independently investigate the subcortical auditory system in living humans using MRI. In this project, we will use ultra-high field 7T MRI to quantify anatomical midbrain tissue contrast in a sub- structure dependent manner. We will also map the structural connections from each IC subdivision throughout the auditory system. Quantifying the specific anatomical MRI contrasts and connectivity patterns in living human midbrain will enable future clinical applications for investigating hearing disorders such as sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus. A possible functional role for non-lemniscal IC is in learning novel speech sound categories. We will collect 7T functional MRI at multiple timepoints during a sound-to-category learning program to assess the contribution of IC and auditory cortex to sound category learning. Our results will elucidate whether novel categories are learned via cortically driven plasticity (cortex represents categorical features at an earlier stage than IC’s relevant acoustic enhancement) or stimulus feature enhancement (IC and cortex have similar time courses of plasticity). Existing methods for probing auditory processing, such as the scalp-recorded frequency following response (FFR), have both subcortical and cortical generators, but their relative contributions throughout the auditory learning process have not been investigated in humans. Participants in our sound-to-category learning paradigm will also undergo FFR recordings. Using representational similarity analysis, we will assess whether sound category feature representation in FFRs primarily follows that of auditory cortex or that of IC, suggesting the relative contribution of each generator at each phase of sound-to-category learning. This project implements state-of-the-art anatomical and functional 7T MRI techniques to quantify foundational characteristics of the human inferior colliculus, a key but poorly investigated subcortical auditory structure. The methods we utilized can be adapted to investigate other small, deep structures throughout the human auditory system and will enhance our understanding of IC contributions to tinnitus and optimal placement of auditory brain implants for individuals with sensorineural hearing loss.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $135,675 )
2025	2025	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK ST	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	5	7/7/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$135,675
														Subtotal = $135,675

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $129,337 )
2024	2024	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK ST	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	005	4	4/12/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$135,675
2024	2023	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK STREET	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	002	3	12/19/2023	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$0
2024	2023	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK STREET	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	3	12/8/2023	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$134,116
2024	2023	UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH - OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION	4200 FIFTH AVENUE	PITTSBURGH	PA	15260	ALLEGHENY	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	2	12/8/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$140,454
2024	2023	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK ST	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	004	3	1/12/2024	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$10,439
2024	2022	UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH - OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION	4200 FIFTH AVENUE	PITTSBURGH	PA	15260	ALLEGHENY	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	003	1	1/12/2024	NEW	-$10,439
														Subtotal = $129,337

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $140,454 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH - OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION	4200 FIFTH AVENUE	PITTSBURGH	PA	15260	ALLEGHENY	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	2	4/23/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$140,454
														Subtotal = $140,454

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $140,454 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, THE	4200 5TH AVE	PITTSBURGH	PA	15260	ALLEGHENY	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	5/16/2022	NEW	$140,454
														Subtotal = $140,454

Grand Total All Awards = $545,920

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Investigating human non-lemniscal inferior colliculus contributions to auditory learning with 7T MRI

Award Number: K01DC019421

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/16/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2027

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