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Biography
Mar.'20--present Research Fellow, Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham.
Jan. '19--Mar.'20 Honorary Assistant Professor, Hearing Sciences, Nottingham.
Jan. '10-Dec. '18 Senior Investigator Scientist, MRC Institute of Hearing Research,
Nottingham. Physiological basis of neural changes producing tinnitus.
Oct. '00--Dec. '09 Investigator Scientist, MRC Institute of Hearing Research, Nottingham.
Structure and function of the auditory brain in guinea pigs and humans.
Oct. '97- Oct. '00 Research Fellow, MRC Institute of Hearing Research, Nottingham.
Connections and physiological properties of guinea pig auditory cortex.
July '90--Aug '97 Lecturer in Dept of Biomedical Sciences, University of Aberdeen.
Studying connections of the auditory cortex and the role of nitric oxide in neuropathology.
Sep. '86--Jun. '90 Assistant Researcher, Dept of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine.
Neurochemical pathways of the mouse brainstem and intrinsic connections of the cat auditory cortex.
Jan. '85--Aug. '86 Wellcome Trust Research Fellow, Anatomisk Institut (Neurobiology), University of Aarhus, Denmark,
Neurochemical pathways in the mouse brainstem and cerebral cortex.
Mar. '83--Dec. '84 SERC Research Fellow, Department of Physiology & Pharmacology St Andrews University.
Histochemical study of the mouse brainstem.
Sept. '79--Feb. '83 Research Scholar in Institute of Physiology, Glasgow University.
Project on histochemistry of the rodent cerebral cortex.
Expertise Summary
Teaching Experience
He was a full time lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen for six years during which he was a course organiser for the second year histology course and the course organiser for the final year of the fourth year course in BSc (hons) anatomy. He also taught medical students in their preclinical years.
Experience of Licenced procedures in animals
He has been involved in animal experimentation since obtaining a Personal Licence in 1977.He has held a Home Office Project Licence from 1990 - 1996 and currently holds a Project Licence for guinea pig research.
Teaching Summary
He was a full time lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen for six years during which he was a course organiser for the second year histology course which had over 160 science… read more
Research Summary
He is currently finishing basic research into the structure and function of a key part of the auditory brain (the inferior colliculus) which is an almost obligatory relay for auditory information… read more
Recent Publications
HOCKLEY, ADAM, BERGER, JOEL I., SMITH, PAUL A., PALMER, ALAN R. and WALLACE, MARK N., 2020. Nitric oxide regulates the firing rate of neuronal subtypes in the guinea pig ventral cochlear nucleus EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE. 51(4), 963-983 HOCKLEY, A., BERGER, J.I., PALMER, A.R. and WALLACE, M.N., 2020. Nitric oxide increases gain within the ventral cochlear nucleus of guinea pigs with tinnitus. European Journal of Neuroscience. 52(9), 4057-4080 WILSON, C.A., BERGER, J.I., DE BOER, J., SEREDA, M., PALMER, A.R., HALL, D.A. and WALLACE, M.N., 2020. Using gap-induced inhibition of the post-auricular muscle response as an objective measure of tinnitus in humans. Acta Scientific Otolaryngology. 2(12), 40-52
WILSON CA, BERGER JI, DE BOER J, SEREDA M, PALMER AR, HALL DA and WALLACE MN, 2019. Gap-induced inhibition of the post-auricular muscle response in humans and guinea pigs. Hearing research. 374, 13-23
Current Research
He is currently finishing basic research into the structure and function of a key part of the auditory brain (the inferior colliculus) which is an almost obligatory relay for auditory information ascending from the ear to the thalamus and neocortex. This involves the characterisation of a previously unknown type of cell in the inferior colliculus that has local axonal terminals that form basket-like endings around adjacent neurons. These apparently have the same function as the well-known inhibitory basket cells of the cortex and may have a role in binding together the activity of groups of adjacent neurons that are thought to be involved in the formation of auditory objects by the brain.
His main area of current research is in understanding more about the biological basis of tinnitus. Tinnitus is associated with an irritating ringing in the ears that is present even in the absence of any external source. It affects 10 - 15% of the population and is sufficiently serious in about 1% of the population that it adversely impacts on their quality of life. His current research involves the use of guinea pig and mice models of tinnitus . The group have developed a behavioural method for identifying tinnitus through examining changes in the acoustic startle shown by ear flicks in response to a brief loud click.
Future Research
His future research is mainly aimed at trying to find a pharmacological cure for tinnitus. This currently involves collaborations with Prof. Peter MCNaughton at Imperial College London and Prof. David Baguley in Nottingham. Tinnitus appears to be associated with changes in the level or type of spontaneous activity in various parts of the auditory brain and especially the cortex. These changes may start in the peripheral sensory organs and involve altered activity in the auditory or other cranial nerves. By using drugs that block chronic neuropathic pain it should be possible to test the hypothesis that tinnitus can be silenced by blocking abnormal activity in peripheral nerves.