Daniel Winkowski, Ph.D.

Meet the Researcher

Daniel Winkowski, Ph.D. earned a B.S. from Fordham University and a Ph.D. in Biology from Temple University.

He conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University and the University of Maryland and is now an Assistant Research Scientist in the Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland. Dr. Winkowski is a General Grand Chapter Royal Arch Masons International award recipient. The Royal Arch Masons support Emerging Research Grants in the area of Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD).

The Research

University of Maryland
Noise trauma induced reorganization of the auditory cortex

Tinnitus (‘ringing in the ears’) is a debilitating condition that is experienced by millions of people worldwide. Tinnitus is frequently seen after noise trauma to the ear. One of the core hypotheses of the etiology of tinnitus is that the percept of ‘ringing in the ears’ is generated by changes in patterns of neural activity in brain circuits at many levels of the auditory pathway. One brain area thought to be at least partly responsible for the tinnitus percept is the primary auditory cortex (A1). However, the precise changes in neural activity within local neuron populations have not been investigated directly. The goal of the proposed project is to probe how noise trauma affects both large- and local-scale organization of A1 brain circuits with unprecedented spatial and cellular resolution in an animal model of tinnitus. Proposed experiments will use state-of-the-art optical imaging approaches to investigate how entire auditory cortical areas (large-scale) and auditory cortical microcircuits (local-scale) are disrupted by noise trauma. A multi-level understanding of circuit dynamics underlying tinnitus (from single neurons to complete representations) will enhance our understanding of precisely how cortical circuits remodel after noise trauma and, in turn, develop and identify strategies by which this debilitating condition can be repaired.

Research Area: Auditory Physiology, Fundamental Auditory Research, Noise-Induced Hearing Loss, Tinnitus

Long Term Research Goal: The long-term goal for the current project is to understand tinnitus at the level of neural circuits. Our approach offers a rather unique opportunity to sample activity within large-scale representations and local populations of neurons and, in turn, will reveal precisely how A1 micro-circuits are affected by traumatic insult to peripheral sensory organs. Thus, I intend on using this approach to build a more comprehensive understanding of how cortical micro-circuits change as a result of noise trauma. Such a level of understanding is essential to advance our efforts to reduce or even reverse the impact noise trauma has on its patients and our society.