Dr. Ann Thompson

Associate Professor Department of Otorhinolaryngology Adjunct Associate Professor, Dept. of Cell Biology The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center 941 Stanton Young Blvd., BSEB 138 Oklahoma City, OK 73104 Office & Lab: (405) 271-2069 Fax: (405) 271-3466 Email: ann-thompson@ouhsc.edu

Research Interests: Neuroanatomy, ascending and descending auditory pathways, neuromodulators in the central auditory system, serotonin's role in the development of the central auditory system

Education: Ph.D., 1987, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

The overall goals of our laboratory are to analyze the structural basis for processing auditory information in the central nervous system, to analyze the substrates for modulation of auditory information by non-auditory brain systems, and to elucidate the developmental factors necessary for correct central connections in the auditory system. Areas of current emphasis include: 1) elucidation of non-auditory inputs such as those originating from serotonergic and noradrenergic systems, to auditory nuclei in the mature mammalian brainstem; 2) identification and localization of monoaminergic receptors in the primary auditory nuclei of the brainstem; and 3) the role of serotonin as a trophic factor in the development of the auditory brainstem circuitry and function. The techniques that we commonly use: neuroanatomical tract-tracing, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, auditory brainstem response measurements, and light microscopic techniques.

Recent Publications:

Hurley L and Thompson AM (2001) Serotonergic innervation of the auditory brainstem of the Mexican Free-tailed bat, Tadarida brasiliensis. The Journal of Comparative Neurology, 435:78-88.

Thompson AM and Thompson GC (2001) The pattern of serotonin projections to cochlear nucleus. Brain Research, 907: 195-207.

Hurley LM, Thompson AM, and Pollak GD (2002) Serotonin in the inferior colliculus. Hearing Research, 168:1-11.

Thompson AM (2003) Pontine sources of norepinephrine in cat cochlear nucleus. The Journal of Comparative Neurology, 457:374-383.