histology of modiolus of a young macaque vs an aged macaque
Lab logo showing yellow AM waves flowing into an ear and exiting as spike trains

What we do at the Recanzone Lab.

Our research investigates how natural aging affects the cerebral cortex, the neural structure that is necessary for one to perceive, and appreciate, different sound qualities.

Age-related hearing deficits affect the majority of American retirees, and virtually all Americans over the age of 75. These deficits go beyond a simple loss of hearing, but also result in a poor ability to tell where different sounds are coming from, and in understanding speech. Our ultimate objective is to better understand cortical processing mechanisms in young and aged brains in order to develop effective remedial therapies to circumvent age-related hearing loss.

Diana Polhac: our past intern takes the spotlight! 🀩🀩🀩

By: Melissa Stroud and Yuri Kubo | 07/29/24

Ever wonder what our former interns are doing after graduating? πŸŽ“πŸŽ“πŸŽ“

Diana Polhac started in the Recanzone Lab as an Undergraduate Researcher very early in her career at UC Davis. Throughout her time here, she was mentored very closely by Dr. Recanzone. Despite the challenges of performing research during a global pandemic, she excelled at her research, receiving multiple prestigious awards, grants, and stipends. She even had the opportunity to present her findings in a professional poster. 

After graduation, Diana worked in Dr. Tejal Desai’s lab at UCSF as a bioengineering Jr. Specialist. She gained amazing experience in preclinical pancreatic research. Her project looked into developing a novel treatment for Type I Diabetes working with stem cell derived beta cells.

After her contract was up, she decided to earn experience as a veterinary assistant under the direction of a DVM. Today, she manages two laboratories at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in the Cardiology and Dermatology departments.

She is currently thinking of pursuing a DVM/PhD degree with UC Davis being her first choice. She states her experience working with animal models in a research setting has been very influential in her decision to pursue this degree. Best of luck to Diana in all her future endeavors!