Under the direction of Dr. Larry Hoffman, the Vestibular Neuroscience Lab is dedicated to questions concerning sensory coding and adaptive plasticity within the inner ear vestibular receptors and to understanding how functional diversity among afferent neural signals are utilized by the central nervous system. An integrated approach is utilized to investigate these issues, incorporating strategies of electrophysiology, morphology, cell biology, systems engineering, and computational neuroscience. Currently being studied are the attributes of sensory coding under normal conditions, but also under conditions in which the ambient sensory environment is modified as occurs in altered gravitational fields, including those associated with spaceflight. Under such conditions, the inner ear gravity receptors have adapted to new ambient conditions, suggesting a form of sensory learning.
For research publications, visit PubMed website >
Larry Hoffman, PhD:
[email protected]
(310) 825-9823 (office)
(310) 206-5152 (lab)
