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| Department of Physiology and Pharmacology George Spirou  George Spirou
Associate Professor of Otolaryngology and Physiology Ph.D. University of Florida 1985 Postdoctoral Fellowship, John Hopkins University Phone: 304-293-2457 Email: gspirou@wvu.edu Research Interests Audition, Neural mechanisms of selective attention, membrane physiology Description of Research We are examining the role of brainstem feedback connections in the identification of sounds in noisy backgrounds. Our objectives are to describe details of the neural circuitry using anatomical techniques and neural interactions within these circuits using extra and intracellular recording techniques. One approach we use is to perform studies using thin slices of brain tissue. Using this approach we are investigating whether the feedback projections are excitatory or inhibitory onto their targets and the pharmacology and physiology of the synaptic connections. The long term goal is to incorporate this information into local circuit models for predicting and experimentally testing the responses of target neurons to sound. Recent Publications Rice, J.J., Young, E.D., and Spirou, G.A. Auditory nerve encoding of pinna-based cues: Rate representation of high frequency stimuli. J. Acoust. soc. Am. 97:1764-1776, 1995. Shaw C.B., Obermyer, N.E., Farr, R.W., Spirou G.A., and Wetmore, S.J. Incidence of adenovirus and respiratory syncytial virus in chronic otitis media with effusion using the polymerase chain reaction. Otolarngol. Head Neck Surg. 113 (3): 234-241, 1995. Spirou G.A. and Berrebi, A.S. Anatomical basis for fast feedback from the lateral nucleus of the trapezoid body to the cochlear nuclei. In Advances in Hearing Research, edited by G.A. Manley, G.M. Klump, C. Koppl, H. Oeckinghaus. World Scientific. 275-287, 1995. Spirou, G.A. and Berrebi, A.S. Organization of ventrolateral periolivary cells of the cat superior olive as revealed by PEP-19 immunocytochemistry and Nissl stain. J. Comp. Neuro. 368:100-120, 1996. |
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