Our research involves several interrelated basic and clinical research foci. Basic research projects include neurophysiologal studies of vestibular ocular reflexes (VORs) and the control of binocular eye movements; behavioral studies of visually guided eye movements and vestibular reflexes in humans; and vestibular function in rodents applicable to genetic mouse models or hair cell regeneration. Clinical studies include determination of normal values for vestibular tests as a function of age and determination of the prevalence of ototoxicity in cystic fibrosis patients exposed to ototoxic medication.

Neurophysiological studies of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) are concerned with sensorimotor transformations: how are afferent sensory vestibular signals tranfomed to produce eye and head motor commands that stabilize eye and head position in space. The relative roles of attentional and cognitive mechanisms in shaping this transformation is an important focus of our research.

Coordination of binocular eye movements has emerged as a fundamental issue of oculomotor control. Recent studies have challenged existing dogma that dates from a 19th century debate about whether ocular coordination is learned or innate. In collaboration with the van der Steen lab in the Netherlands, we use human and animal models and behavioral and electrophysiological paradigms to study binocular control of eye movements.

In humans, we use virtual reality to control visual stimuli that elicit saccadic, smooth pursuit and vestibular eye movements. Monocular and binocular cues (e.g., disparity, size, reference frame information) are systematically manipulated to determine their influence on binocular coordination. Similar paradigms are employed in animal studies where we can correlate neural activity with sensory and motor function.

Vestibular control of head stability in rodents (the vestibulocollic reflex or VCR) is being studied to assess vestibular function quantitatively. Using the VCR as a model, the effects of genetic modifications on sensory pathways can be systematically studied. Our experiments may also provide a way to assess regenerative recovery in mammals after loss of sensory hair cells.

A variety of clinical studies are based in the Vestibular Testing Center. These include determination of normal values for clinical function tests across age groups, development of new vestibular tests, and studies of patients with vestibular disease or functional loss caused by exposure to ototoxic medication.

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