Biography
Dr. Huang’s scientific interests have been centered around sensory systems and how they solve problems in the natural environment. These scientific interests have led me through multiple research fields he delivered novel scientific contributions. His Ph.D. work in the electrosensory system of the weakly-electric fish was pivotal to his academic career, which allowed him to explore various aspects of systems neuroscience in a simple animal model. This in turn led him to extend his research in his postdoctoral work in the auditory system of Mongolian gerbils and humans at University College London and University of Maryland respectively. His work at GCNI primarily focuses on neural coding in the auditory system, with a focus on acoustic listeners with hearing impairment and cochlear implant patients.
Chengjie (Gary) HUANG
Research Assistant Professor, Gerald Choa Neuroscience Institute
Research Interests
- Age-related hearing loss: There are an estimated 500 million people worldwide living with hearing loss, and hearing loss thus is responsible for substantial personal impacts, such as increased risk for dementia, and larger global impacts such as socioeconomic burden in healthcare. We are working towards strategies to mitigate the effects of hearing loss as people age and understand how to develop individualized treatment for those affected.
- Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants: Hearing aids are the most widely used device to treat hearing loss, while cochlear implants are the most successful neuroprosthetic devices which are able to restore hearing for patients who are deaf or have severe-to-profound hearing loss. However, these devices are not perfect, with patients often complaining of their use in loud, noisy environments. We are working to understand the limitations of these devices and how to improve them for better clinical outcomes.
- Neural basis of auditory processing deficits: Hearing loss results in inadequate neural coding of auditory information in the brain which results in poor auditory perception. We are working towards understanding how this breakdown of the neural code occurs in the brain using electrophysiology and psychophysics experiments, which will aid in informing how to improve current medical devices used to treat hearing loss.
Awards
- Human Frontier Science Program Postdoctoral Long-Term Fellowship (2018 to 2022)
- University College London Research-Led Initiative Award (2020)
- J.P. Collip Fellowship in Medical Research (2017-2018)
- Cameron-Davis & Davis Fellowship (2016-2017)
Selected publications
- Huang, C.G., Field, N.A., Latorre, M-E., Anderson, S., Goupell, M.J. (2024). Increased listening effort and decreased speech discrimination at high presentation sound levels in acoustic hearing listeners and cochlear implant users. BioRxiv. (Under Review)
- Huang, C.G., Metzen, M.G., Chacron, M.J. (2019). Descending pathways mediate adaptive optimized coding of natural stimuli in weakly electric fish. Science Advances.
- Metzen., M.G.*, Huang, C.G.*, Chacron, M.J. (2018). Descending pathways generate perception of and neural responses to weak sensory input. PLoS Biology 16: e2005239.
- Huang C.G., Zhang Z.D., Chacron M.J. (2016). Temporal decorrelation by SK channels enables efficient neural coding and perception of natural stimuli. Nature Communications. DOI 10.1038/NCOMMS11353.
