Our Current Work

Developmental determination of central auditory physiology by the inner ear

We are exploring the activity dependent mechanisms of brain development in the auditory pathway by altering the fundamental organization of the inner ear early in life. Our hypothesis is that some aspects of brain specialization arise due to particular signals that arise during neural circuit formation.

Specialized high-frequency senstive synapses in the auditory pathway enhance spatial hearing

Genetically modified inner ear

We use molecular methods to change the inner ear to evaluate its impact on brain development

This work is supported by an R01 Grant from the NIH/National Institute for Deafness and other Communication Disorders

Cholinergic modulation of sound localization circuitry

Description: Acetylcholine acts as a modulatory neurotransmitter throughout the nervous system, yet it's role in central auditory circuitry is poorly understood. We are investigating cholinergic influences on neurons in the Superior Olive, a cluster of brain centers that is involved in processing sound source locations. Our work is funded by the National Institute for Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

If you would like to know the latest, Dr. Burger is the Co-Editor of a new special collection on neuromodulation in the auditory system appearing soon in Frontiers in Neural Circuits , just click here!

This work is supported by an R15 Grant from the NIH/National Institute for Deafness and other Communication Disorders

Here we show a 3D rendering of the volume of the cochlear nucleus magnocellularis (NM) from chick brain. We analyze changes in the structure of NM in response to developmental manipulations of the ear.

HearMyCl: A Patient-Customized Cochlear Implant Simulation App:

Mentors: Michael Burger, Susan Perry, Brook Sawyer

In collaboration with Dr. Susan Perry and Dr. Brook Sawyer, we are developing technology solutions for early interventions in cochlear implant patients. Our work aims to improve early language development for children with auditory prostheses.

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