Brett Schofield, Ph.D., named Distinguished University Professor
April 12, 2025
At its March meeting, the NEOMED Board of Trustees recognized Brett Schofield, Ph.D., as a Distinguished University Professor for his exceptional achievements and contributions in auditory neuroscience research, teaching and service. The title of Distinguished University Professor is the highest honor bestowed on faculty at NEOMED.
Over the years, Dr. Schofield has brought in millions of dollars in research funding to NEOMED. Most recently, he received notice of a five-year $1,032,922 grant from the National Institutes of Health for his project, Mechanisms of Cholinergic Signaling in the Inferior Colliculus.
Dr. Schofield’s research focuses on identifying neural circuits in the brain that influence hearing, which could lead to improved hearing function and a deeper understanding of hearing impairments. Specifically, his work examines cholinergic circuits, networks of neurons that use acetylcholine to communicate and shape the brain’s response to sound. These circuits impact nearly every aspect of hearing, including the ability to distinguish sounds in noisy environments. However, the mechanisms behind auditory processing remain only partially understood. Dr. Schofield aims to bridge these gaps, paving the way for advancements in treatments such as drug therapies, gene therapy, next-generation hearing aids, and even preventive strategies for hearing loss.
This new project builds on research from both his own lab and his decade-long collaboration with Dr. Michael Roberts at the Kresge Hearing Research Institute at the University of Michigan. Their focus is the inferior colliculus, a key hub in the auditory pathway that connects the ear to the cerebral cortex, where sound is perceived. At NEOMED, Dr. Schofield and his team will use transmission electron microscopy to examine the synaptic connections between cholinergic circuits and specific neuron types in the inferior colliculus of mice. Together with findings from the Roberts lab, this research will deepen our understanding of how auditory information is processed.
This foundational work is critical for developing new approaches to help individuals with age-related hearing loss, difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments, learning to hear with cochlear implants, and auditory dysfunctions associated with conditions such as autism or schizophrenia.