Research

Research Overview

Research in the Pyott lab focuses on understanding the synaptic relays between the inner ear and brain.  The lab utilizes a variety of techniques to investigate inner ear function across various levels of biological organization, from molecules, to cells, to circuits, and relate those findings to in vivo function.  This “bottom up” approach is complemented by in vivo findings that guide “top down” investigations.  As part of this research, my laboratory utilizes in vitro preparations of the auditory and vestibular sensory epithelia that are amenable to a variety of molecular techniques, including in vitro and in vivo electrophysiology, immunofluorescence, and more recently single molecule RNA detection and RNA sequencing.  These approaches, in conjunction with the continued development of behavioral assessments of inner ear and brain function, are allowing the lab to use the mouse, a genetically tractable and clinically relevant model system, to relate peripheral (in vitro) and central (in vivo) functioning of the inner ear.

Areas of Interest

1. Channels and transporters as regulators of excitability in the inner ear

2. Form and function of inner ear synapses

3. Integration of afferent and efferent circuits in the inner ear

4. Influence of auditory input on the brain