Carolina Abdala
Scientist III and Co-Director
Children's Auditory Research and Evaluation Center (CARE)
House Ear Institute
Research Topics
- The maturation and aging of auditory peripheral function in human infants
- Human cochlear physiology using distortion product otoacoustic emissions
- Impact of changes in cochlear function on the perception of speech in difficult listening conditions
Research Overview
Primary research interests are the maturation of human auditory function and the physiological and behavioral methods used to investigate this maturational process.In the past decade, the lab has studied cochlear frequency resolution, non-linearity and the regulation of cochlear function via the descending medial olivocochlear tract. Its primary investigative tool to study cochlear and olivocochlear function is the otoacoustic emission (OAE). Otoacoustic emissions are manifestations of biologic amplification processes active in the healthy cochlea and their measurement and analysis allows for non-invasive exploration of cochlear physiology in humans. There are several types of OAEs, but the one used primarily in this laboratory is the distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE). Although we mainly use DPOAEs as a technique to study auditory changes associated with age, they can also serve to elucidate poorly understood cochlear processes and features such as basilar membrane motion, spread of energy on the basilar membrane and cochlear amplification. As such, we have developed innovative OAE paradigms to probe these questions and, along with renown collaborators, have begun to explore theories of OAE generation and initiate work in cochlear modeling.
Although the focus of our work has been maturation of auditory physiology, the most recent work in the lab includes geriatric subjects, not just newborns. We are interested in tracking changes in peripheral auditory function throughout the human lifespan, rather than focus only on maturation in infancy. Also explored is the impact immaturity and aging-related dysfunction in peripheral auditory function can have on perception. We have expanded our methodology to include behavioral assessments of speech perception using custom-designed software to address this intriguing question. Research is supported by the NIH, National Institutes of Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and the House Ear Institute.
Contact Information
- Web Site:
- House Ear Institute
- E-mail:
- cabdala@hei.org
- Mailing Address:
- House Ear Institute
2100 West Third Street
Los Angeles, CA 90057 - Office Location:
- HEI, Los Angeles
- Office Phone:
- (213) 273-8003
- Lab Location:
- LAC+USC Women's and Children's
- Fax:
- (213) 989-6764
Education
- House Ear Institute, Los Angeles, CA [Postdoc Auditory Development (1993-1995)]
- University of Washington, Seattle, WA [Ph.D. Hearing Science (1993)]
- University of California, Santa Barbara, CA [M.A Hearing Science (1986)]
- California State University, Fullerton, CA [B.A. Communicative Disorders (1983)]
Research Images
Selected Publications
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Abdala C. and Oba, S. (2008) Changes in the DP-gram during the preterm and early postnatal period. Ear Hear. 29(4): 512-523. -PubMed
Dhar S. and Abdala, C. (2007) A comparative study of DPOAE fine structure in human newborns and adults with normal hearing. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 122(4): 2191-2202. -PubMed
Abdala, C., Keefe, D. and Oba, S. (2007) Distortion product otoacoustic emission suppression tuning and acoustic admittance in human infants: Birth through six months. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 121(6): 3617-3627. -PubMed
Keefe D. and Abdala, C. (2007) Theory of forward and reverse middle-ear transmission applied to otoacoustic emissions in infant and adult ears. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 121(2): 978-993. -PubMed
Abdala, C. and Keefe, D. (2006) Effects of middle-ear immaturity on DPOAE Suppression tuning in infant ears. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 120(6): 3832-3842. -PubMed
Abdala, C. (2005) Effects of aspirin on distortion product otoacoustic emissions suppression in adults: A comparison with neonatal data. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 118(3): 1566-1575. -PubMed
Abdala, C. (2004) Distortion product otoacoustic emission (2f1- f2) suppression in 3-month-old infants: Evidence for postnatal maturation of human cochlear function? J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 116(6): 3572-3580. -PubMed
Abdala, C. (2003) A longitudinal study of DPOAE ipsilateral suppression and input/output characteristics in human neonates. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 114(6): 3239-3250. -PubMed
Abdala, C. and Chatterjee, M. (2003) Maturation of cochlear non-linearity as measured by DPOAE suppression growth in humans. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 114(2): 932-943. -PubMed