Laura Kenny

• MBBS
• Neurotransmitter mechanisms in the auditory midbrain in an animal model of tinnitus

The research is directed at the brain mechanisms responsible for tinnitus, the condition where sounds are perceived when there is no external source.  Tinnitus has a high incidence, particularly in the elderly, and can have a severe impact on quality of life. There is no cure.  In the research I will explore the relationship between different neurotransmitter systems in an auditory region of the guinea pig brain that is implicated in tinnitus. I will be processing brain sections with fluorescent antibodies that will enable me to visualise and map different nerve cells and their endings in auditory structures within the brains of normal animals. This provides a starting point for further research into the causes of tinnitus.

Funding Source: Physiology Society