John J. Guinan Jr., PhD

Degrees

• PhD in Communications Biophysics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1968
• MS in Electrical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1964
• BS in Electrical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1963

Selected Awards/Societies

• Fellow, Acoustical Society of America
• Society for Neuroscience
• Association for Research in Otolaryngology
• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Editorial Board, Hearing Research

Research Interests

Professor Guinan’s research is directed at understanding how signals are amplified, transmitted and frequency analyzed in the mammalian cochlea, and how cochlear properties are changed by the feedback nerves from the brain to the cochlea. These issues are explored by mechanical measurements of basilar-membrane motion, otoacoustic emissions, and the responses of single auditory-nerve fibers in experimental animals. In humans, non-invasive measurements of cochlear mechanics through otoacoustic emissions are being used to show how the cochlear feedback nerves help increase our ability to detect signals in noisy backgrounds.

Reference Publications

• Guinan JJ, Jr., Lin T, Cheng H. Medial-olivocochlear-efferent inhibition of the first peak of auditory-nerve responses: Evidence for a new motion within the cochlea. J Acoust Soc Am. 2005;118:2421-2433.
• Guinan JJ, Jr. Backus BC, Lilaonitkul W, Aharonson V. Medial olivocochlear efferent reflex in humans: otoacoustic emission (OAE) measurement issues and the advantages of stimulus frequency OAEs. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2003;4:521-40.
• Cooper NP, Guinan JJ, Jr. Separate mechanical processes underlie fast and slow effects of medial olivocochlear efferent activity. J Physiol 2003;548:307-12.
• Shera CA, Guinan JJ, Jr., Oxenham AJ. Revised estimates of human cochlear tuning from otoacoustic and behavioral measurements. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002;99:3318-3323.