National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Acting Scientific Director: Thomas B. Friedman, Ph.D.
The Division of Intramural Research (DIR) of the NIDCD conducts basic and clinical research in the areas of human communication. Current research projects address the following:
- Genetics of communication disorders in humans and murine models
- Elucidation of the sensory transduction mechanisms of hearing, balance, smell, and taste
- Structural, physiological, and developmental properties of the inner ear
- Neuroimaging of brain function in physiologic and pathophysiologic states
- Characterization of basic properties of neurotransmission and signal transduction
- Biology and therapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma