# Neural Signatures of Enhanced Central Auditory Gain in Hyperacusis

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS · 2021 · $92,254

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Hyperacusis is a common and debilitating auditory disorder wherein sounds of moderate intensity are described
as unbearably loud, aversive, or even painful. Hyperacusis often has a profoundly negative impact on quality of
life, leading to loss of employment, social isolation, and severe psychiatric co-morbidities. Despite the prevalence
and heterogeneity of self-reported auditory and emotional sequelae secondary to hyperacusis, its
characterization remains largely qualitative. Clinicians lack quantitative and objective neurophysiological
markers that would illuminate the neural basis for hyperacusis and allow accurate diagnosis and surveillance of
psychoacoustic and distress-related symptoms. In this mentored career development award, the Candidate
proposes a training plan to develop objective, non-invasive physiological biomarkers that can quantitatively
dissociate complaints of enhanced loudness perception and sound-evoked distress in individuals with
hyperacusis, and which have the potential to evolve into a new class of clinical diagnostic tools for evaluating
sound intolerance. Supported by decades of research on acoustic injury in animal models, we posit that many
of the sound intolerance symptoms associated with hyperacusis share a common root related to maladaptive
hyperexcitability (i.e., increased gain) in the central auditory and limbic systems. In Aim 1, the Candidate will
implement a battery of perceptual and electroencephalography (EEG) measures to test the hypothesis that
subjects with hyperacusis have steeper electrophysiological sound-level growth in the central auditory system
and heightened loudness perception as compared to age-matched neurotypical controls. In Aim 2, the Candidate
will use complementary behavioral and objective measures of arousal and affective sound quality to test the
hypothesis that individuals with hyperacusis exhibit greater subjective and physiological sound-evoked arousal
(i.e., larger changes in pupil diameter, skin conductance, heart rate, and facial micro-movements) for emotionally
neutral stimuli than age-matched neurotypical controls. The Candidate has assembled a mentorship team of
world-class clinicians and auditory neuroscientists that have expertise in a range of relevant areas for the
proposal including electrophysiological and psychophysical measures of central gain in humans and animal
models. The Eaton-Peabody Laboratories at Massachusetts Eye and Ear is the world’s leading center for the
study of hearing and deafness, allowing ample opportunities for research and professional development. The
K01 award will allow the Candidate to reshape the reach and sophistication of the clinical research questions
that she can pursue, providing a crucial stepping-stone toward her goal of developing into an independent
clinician-scientist.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10534580
- **Project number:** 7K01DC019647-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS
- **Principal Investigator:** Kelly Nicole Jahn
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $92,254
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10534580

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10534580, Neural Signatures of Enhanced Central Auditory Gain in Hyperacusis (7K01DC019647-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10534580. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*