# Development of medial efferent mechanisms in children

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY · 2021 · $92,135

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT
 (parent R01)
 Efferent feedback—a hallmark of peripheral sound coding—plays a critical role in
auditory development and plasticity and offers a potential mechanism for minimizing
noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy and supra-threshold perceptual deficits. However,
our knowledge of how efferent mechanisms develop in humans is extremely limited.
The overarching goal of this research is to understand the development of medial
efferent mechanisms in humans and their involvement in auditory development. The
objective of the proposed project is to systematically investigate the development of the
temporal features of efferent effects. Our central hypothesis is that children exhibit
developmental changes in efferent effects as a result of developmental plasticity in the
brainstem. Our rationale is that detailed knowledge of how efferents work and develop
will lead to a better understanding of the role of efferents in auditory development and
perceptual deficits. The proposed project has two specific aims: 1) To determine the
development of the efferent sensitivity to temporal fluctuations; and 2) To determine the
developmental changes in the temporal dynamics of efferent effects. The proposed
work is conceptually innovative because it will provide information on the poorly-
understood developmental aspects of efferent effects in the children. The approach
involves a compelling mix of sweep-tone OAE measurements with advanced signal
processing (time-frequency analysis) techniques. The proposed research will provide
significant new knowledge regarding how efferents develop in humans, and has
implications for (1) for understanding the involvement of efferents in supra-threshold
hearing, (2) forming theories of auditory development, (3) developing OAE-based tests
of efferent function for predicting susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss, (4)
constructing accurate auditory models, and (5) designing improved hearing device
algorithms. The principal investigator is experienced in conducting this kind of research
in the current environment. Overall, the proposed project will make a sustained impact
on our understanding of the human efferent system and its development, and on the
field of pediatric audiology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10331220
- **Project number:** 3R01DC018046-01A1S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY
- **Principal Investigator:** Srikanta Mishra
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $92,135
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10331220

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10331220, Development of medial efferent mechanisms in children (3R01DC018046-01A1S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10331220. Licensed CC0.

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