Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 3 471 6077
- yiwen.zheng@otago.ac.nz
- Position
- Research Associate Professor
- Department
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Qualifications
- BSc PhD
- Research summary
- Auditory system, tinnitus, tinnitus treatment, vestibular system, hippocampus, spatial learning / memory, neuroplasticity, neurotransmitters
Research
My research concerns two main areas. One is to investigate the CNS mechanisms underlying the generation and perception of tinnitus, also known as ringing in the ears, and to develop effective treatment for tinnitus. The other is to investigate how the vestibular system, the balance organ in the inner ear, contributes to the integration of the sensory information by the hippocampus, a part of the brain known to be important in learning and memory.
My research involves the use of a range of pharmacological, neurochemical, electrophysiological and behavioural techniques and is currently funded by the New Zealand Health Research Council, the New Zealand Neurological Foundation, Jean Cathie Bequest, Brain Research New Zealand and the Eisdell Moore Centre for Research on Hearing and Balance Disorders.