Welcome to the ACN Lab!
Normal Hearing • Hearing Loss • Tinnitus
Dr. Husain directs the ACN Lab and holds appointments within the Neuroscience Program and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. She joined the Illinois faculty in 2008 after completing a Ph.D. in Cognitive and Neural Systems at Boston University and postdoctoral research fellowship training at the National Institutes of Health (NIDCD/NIH).
Dr. Husain is a recognized leader in the cognitive neuroscience of tinnitus, hearing loss, hyperacusis, and misophonia. She was named the 2022 King J. and Marjorie R. McCristal Distinguished Scholar, the College of Applied Health Sciences’ highest award for scholarly achievement. Her active portfolio includes a Discovery Research Grant from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People to investigate personalized neurofeedback treatments for tinnitus distress.
Our lab conducts research on the neural mechanisms underlying tinnitus, as well as speech perception, hearing loss, and sound tolerance disorders. Our ultimate goal is to evaluate existing interventions and develop novel, personalized treatments.
We integrate three primary methodologies to map how the brain adapts to sensory changes and disorders:
- Computational Modeling: Developing simulations of auditory and speech perception in the cerebral cortex to predict neural adaptation.
- Neuroimaging: Using structural and functional MRI to visualize anatomical microstructures and functional connectivity networks in patient populations.
- Behavioral Experiments: Applying audiological screenings, psychoacoustic paradigms, and standardized questionnaires to evaluate the real-world impacts of auditory conditions.
By integrating these methodologies, our ultimate goal is to objectively evaluate existing interventions and propose novel, personalized treatment methods for sound tolerance disorders.
Our research is conducted at the Department of Speech and Hearing Science and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.