ATA Names Recipients of 2014 Advanced Tinnitus Research Grants
Portland, OR (PRWEB) July 16, 2014 -- The American Tinnitus Association (ATA,) the world’s leading nonprofit membership organization for tinnitus patients and their supporters, is pleased to announce the recipients of its annual grants for tinnitus research. Each year ATA funds a select group of innovative research projects that improve understanding of tinnitus, develop better tinnitus treatments, and advance the search for an ultimate cure.
In 2014, ATA is funding three particularly promising research projects:
Role of the Cholinergic System in Modulation of Tinnitus
Primary Investigator: James Kaltenback, Ph.D., Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
Dr. Kaltenback will use funding from ATA to explore three particularly promising chemical compounds as potential drug candidates, to target specific neural receptors related to the brain hyperactivity which underlies tinnitus. This work builds off of his previous research and could accelerate the development of commercially-available medications to silence tinnitus.
Tinnitus and Tonotopic Remapping of the Auditory Cortex
Primary Investigator: Pim Van Dijk, Ph.D., University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Dr. Van Dijk is testing the theory that tinnitus is caused by tonotopic remapping—the organization of how particular sound frequencies are processed in different areas of the brain. Validating this concept will stimulate the development of treatments (such as new sound therapies) that aim to restore normal tonotopic representation and thereby resolve tinnitus.
Dissociating Mechanisms of Tinnitus & Hyperacusis: A Survey & Behavioral Study (Student Research)
Primary Investigator: Jenise Imani Chappell, University of Illinois at Urbana, Urbana, IL
Through a population survey and in-person patient testing, Ms. Chappell will determine whether tinnitus and hyperacusis (extreme sound sensitivity) share similar otoacoustic emission correlates. The goal is to identify appropriate clinical protocols for assisting patients with both conditions.
A full description of the funded research is available at: http://www.ata.org/research/ata-funded
“We are thrilled about the research we’re funding this year,” said Cara James, Executive Director of the American Tinnitus Association. “These studies will significantly improve our understanding of tinnitus as a neurological condition and have the potential to validate new pathways towards a cure. ATA is the only tinnitus patient-centered membership association directly funding research and we’re pleased to make such meaningful inroads in science.”
ATA’s grant process focuses on seed grants in the most innovative areas of tinnitus research, with the goal of establishing proof of concept. All research proposals measured against ATA’s “Roadmap for a Cure,” a progressive framework for how tinnitus research can best—and most rapidly—be used to achieve a definitive cure for tinnitus. The funding process is guided by the association’s Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Committee, composed of leading researchers and thought leaders in the field of tinnitus.
About the American Tinnitus Association
The American Tinnitus Association (ATA) is the nation’s foremost nonprofit organization committed to curing tinnitus. For over 40 years, ATA has helped patients understand and manage the "ringing in their ears" and raised resources for advanced tinnitus research. Since 1971, ATA has contributed nearly $6 million to medical research projects focused on curing tinnitus. For more information, please visit http://www.ata.org.
Ben Forstag, American Tinnitus Association, http://www.ata.org, +1 (503) 248-9985 Ext: 211, [email protected]
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