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Ion channel function in the central auditory pathway
PhD Studentship, 2007-2010
Ion channels are found on the membrane of cells and have pores that allow chemical messages to be transmitted between cells. Sound waves cause tiny hairs in the inner ear to vibrate, each one sends an electrical impulse to the brain, where the signals are translated into the sounds that we recognise. Ion channels play an essential role in this process.
This project will study a family of ion channels called voltage-activated potassium channels, which are known to play an essential role in the cell’s ability to generate and transmit electrical signals. Mutations in potassium ion channel genes have been shown to cause hereditary deafness, which emphasises the essential role that these channels play in normal hearing.
Professor Forsythe's research group is focused on understanding responses to cell injury and he has considerable experience in studying the genetic and molecular composition of the auditory brainstem. He and his colleagues have shown that these potassium ion channels are found at the synapses, the points where neurons meet and transmit the signal. There is evidence that these channels play a number of roles in controlling the electrical signals transmitted from one cell to another.
The project will measure activity in potassium channels to determine how each type of potassium channel behaves. The research will focus on cells that have been subjected to high levels of noise and also on cells that have been subjected to bilirubin which is the toxin that causes jaundice and that is known to cause deafness.
These analyses will be compared to normal cells to identify the chemical and genetic changes that occur on deafening caused by noise damage and bilirubin toxicity. The comparison will enable Professor Forsythe to establish whether the changes that occur in damaged cells are the same regardless of the cause of damage.
Identification of the important cellular and molecular changes to these key channels on deafness will pave the way for future research to manipulate the process with a view to reversing the damage.
