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SHACS: Shuyi Ma, PhD - In vivo screening for ototoxicity-modulating drug interactions identifies antagonism that protects against hair cell damage
Ototoxicity is a debilitating side effect of over 150 medications. New approaches for preclinical identification of potential drug interactions that might impact ototoxicity would facilitate design of safer multi-drug regimens. To address this need, we have developed a novel workflow: Parallelized Evaluation of Protection and Injury for Toxicity Assessment (PEPITA), which empowers high-throughput, semi-automated quantification of ototoxicity and otoprotection in zebrafish larvae. Using PEPITA, we have discovered an antagonistic interaction between macrolide and aminoglycoside antibiotics that protects against damage to lateral line hair cells in zebrafish larvae relative to monotherapy. Co-administration of azithromycin, erythromycin, or clarithromycin protected against damage from a broad panel of aminoglycosides, including neomycin and gentamicin in zebrafish; moreover, azithromycin-gentamicin co-treatment also reduced damage in murine cochlear culture. Interestingly, damage protection seems to be due to bo…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Haring Center, EEU School (CHSC). Campus room: Room CD150. Accessibility Contact: lfoy@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Target Audience: Faculty, students, researchers, lab members.
Thursday, February 5, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
SHACS: Emily Knight, MD, PhD - Visuospatial attentional influences on multi-talker speech recognition in autism and ADHD
Many children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), experience difficulty understanding speech in multi-talker environments, with downstream consequences for learning and social participation. Effective speech perception in noisy environments depends upon interactions between auditory and visual perception and top-down cognitive processes. We present findings from a virtual reality (VR)–EEG study of children with ADHD or ASD compared to neurotypical development, demonstrating reduced audiovisual speech benefits and atypical allocation of visuospatial attention to target speakers, indexed by steady-state visual evoked potentials. Second, we describe the design and exploratory evaluation of a VR-based training game aimed at supporting attention and audiovisual integration, balancing mechanistic fidelity with child-centered engagement. Together, these studies motivate a theoretical framework in which disrupted selective…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Haring Center, EEU School (CHSC). Campus room: Room CD150. Accessibility Contact: lfoy@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Target Audience: Faculty, students, researchers, lab members.
Thursday, February 19, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
SHACS: Kelly C. Harris, PhD - Inhibition, Insulation, and Speech: the Role of GABA and Myelin in Auditory Plasticity
As the aging population grows, differences in speech perception among older adults cannot be explained by peripheral hearing loss alone. Central auditory changes play a critical role and may represent potential therapeutic targets. Integrating electrophysiologic, neuroimaging, and behavioral findings, I will discuss plasticity in the auditory system that emerges with aging and is modulated by peripheral deficits. Emphasis is placed on two key regulators of plasticity: inhibitory neurotransmission (GABA) and white matter microstructure (myelin). Age-related changes in GABA and myelin are shown to influence cortical timing, network integration, and cross-modal reorganization, with direct consequences for speech perception. Together, these findings highlight central neurochemical and structural factors that contribute to variability in auditory performance with age and underscore the importance of brain-based mechanisms in supporting speech perception in older listeners.
Kelly Harris is a Professor in the…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Eagleson Hall (EGL). Campus room: Room 211. Accessibility Contact: lfoy@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Target Audience: Faculty, students, researchers, lab members.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
SHACS: Z. Yan Wang, PhD - Death and the octopus
Assistant Professor of Psychology and of Biology at University of Washington
The 2025-2026 SHACS lectures will all be held in person, and are free and open to the public.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Eagleson Hall (EGL). Campus room: Room 211. Accessibility Contact: lfoy@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Target Audience: Faculty, students, researchers, lab members.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
SHACS: Thanos Tzounopoulos, PhD - Brain Mechanisms that Highlight Treatment Development for Hearing Loss, Tinnitus and Hyperacusis
Professor of Otolaryngology-HNS at University of Pittsburgh
The 2025-2026 SHACS lectures will all be held in person, and are free and open to the public.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Magnuson Health Sciences Center G (HSG). Campus room: Room G328. Accessibility Contact: lfoy@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Target Audience: Faculty, students, researchers, lab members.
Thursday, April 2, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
SHACS: Tanya Eadie, PhD, CCC-SLP - Reducing the Noise: Optimizing Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice Disorders
Professor of Speech & Hearing Sciences at University of Washington
The 2025-2026 SHACS lectures will all be held in person, and are free and open to the public.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Eagleson Hall (EGL). Campus room: Room 211. Accessibility Contact: lfoy@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Target Audience: Faculty, students, researchers, lab members.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
SHACS: Nikolai Dembrow, PhD - Cell-type-specific differences in excitatory neurons across auditory, associative, and motor cortices in non-human primates
Associate Professor of Neurobiology & Biophysics at University of Washington
The 2025-2026 SHACS lectures will all be held in person, and are free and open to the public.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Magnuson Health Sciences Center G (HSG). Campus room: Room G328. Accessibility Contact: lfoy@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Target Audience: Faculty, students, researchers, lab members.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.