Auditory Processing in the Amygdala and How It Shapes Social Hearing
Official title: Auditory Information Processing in the Amygdala
Funded at Northeast Ohio Medical University · NIH-11418423 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant studies how the amygdala helps us understand and react to vocal sounds, which could inform ways to support people with brain-inspired communication changes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northeast Ohio Medical University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rootstown, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 1990 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $605,098 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC000937-32 |
| Project ID | NIH-11418423 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease dementia or related conditions who experience changes in processing social vocalizations may be relevant for future translational work.
✕Less likely to help
This basic neuroscience project does not involve a current treatment and may not directly benefit all individuals with dementia.
What this research studies
Researchers will explore how the amygdala analyzes vocal signals and links them to emotions, potentially affecting how people interpret social sounds. The project looks at distinct neural circuits within the basolateral amygdala that respond to positive or negative vocal cues and connect to brain areas governing rewards or defense. It also examines how current vocal input and a person’s internal state shape these neural responses over short-term timescales. By understanding these neural pathways, the work aims to clarify why some social sounds are perceived as more salient and emotionally meaningful. The study leverages neurophysiological data to connect vocal acoustics with brain activity and behavior.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of how the brain processes social sounds could lead to new approaches for supporting communication in people with dementia or amygdala-related conditions.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work suggests amygdala circuits influence emotional processing of sounds, with room for novel insights into human relevance.
Where this research is happening
-
Northeast Ohio Medical University
Rootstown, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wenstrup, Jeffrey James — Northeast Ohio Medical University
- Study coordinator: Wenstrup, Jeffrey James
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.