Effects of Nicotine and Attention on Frequency Tuning in Auditory Cortex
Status:
Not yet recruiting
Trial end date:
2025-12-31
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Nicotine enhances auditory-cognitive function because it mimics the brain's system for
"paying attention" to important sounds amid distractions (for example, understanding speech
in a noisy environment). In part, nicotine does this by activating inhibitory neurons in the
auditory cortex. Since age-related hearing deficits result, in part, from the loss of
inhibitory neurons in auditory cortex, this project will determine whether nicotine's effects
can compensate for reduced inhibition in the aging auditory cortex and thereby restore
auditory function.
The investigators will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the
selectivity of responses in auditory cortex to tones of various frequencies. The
investigators will measure the effects of nicotine (administered as chewing gum) and aging on
these fMRI response properties. The investigators hypothesize that frequency selectivity will
decrease with aging and increase following nicotine administration.