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William E. O'Neill, Ph.D.

William E. O'Neill, Ph.D.

About Me

EDUCATION:

Cornell University Ecology and Evolution 1969 B.S.
SUNY at Stony Brook Neurobiology and Behavior 1976 Ph.D.

POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING:

Washington University Physiology and Biophysics 9/76 - 8/79 Trainee


FACULTY APPOINTMENTS:

1996-Present Associate Pro...
EDUCATION:

Cornell University Ecology and Evolution 1969 B.S.
SUNY at Stony Brook Neurobiology and Behavior 1976 Ph.D.

POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING:

Washington University Physiology and Biophysics 9/76 - 8/79 Trainee


FACULTY APPOINTMENTS:

1996-Present Associate Professor University of Rochester Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
1996-Present Associate Professor University of Rochester Department of Brain and Cognitive Science
1/1996-6/1996 Associate Professor University of Rochester Department of Pharmacology & Physiology
1987-1995 Associate Professor University of Rochester Department of Physiology
1986-1987 Associate Professor University of Rochester Center for Brain Research
1979-1986 Assistant Professor University of Rochester Center for Brain Research
12/1975-9/1976 Instructor S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook

Faculty Appointments

Professor Emeritus - Department of Neuroscience (SMD)

Credentials

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

Washington University,
Physiology and Biophysics. 1976 - 1979

Education

PhD | Stony Brook Univ Health Sciences Center School of Medicine. Behavioral Science, Other. 1976

BS | Cornell University. Neurophysiology. 1969

Awards

NIH Training Grant, Research,. 1976 - 1979

New York State Regents Scholarship,. 1965 - 1969

Research

RESEARCH:

Processing of Complex Acoustic Signals in the Central Auditory System; Echolocation; Aging Effects on Temporal and Spatial Processing in the Central Auditory System.

Acoustic communication, including human speech, is mediated by dynamic sounds that vary in both time and frequ...
RESEARCH:

Processing of Complex Acoustic Signals in the Central Auditory System; Echolocation; Aging Effects on Temporal and Spatial Processing in the Central Auditory System.

Acoustic communication, including human speech, is mediated by dynamic sounds that vary in both time and frequency. Recent research focuses on the neuronal mechanisms in the auditory midbrain involved in the encoding of complex biologically-relevant acoustic signals. In particular, we are interested in the neural basis for the perception of brief frequency modulations (FM), which are nearly ubiquitous in the communication sounds used by most vertebrates, including consonant-vowel transitions in human speech. Our studies have been carried out in echolocating mustached bats that emit biosonar signals with prominent FM sweeps. Neurons in the bat auditory midbrain, thalamus and cortex are often selective for the direction of frequency change in FM sweeps, with some preferring upward sweeps, and others preferring downward sweeps. We have shown that directional preference depends on the velocity of frequency change in the sweep that is correlated with a time dependent interaction between excitation and inhibition driving these cells. By using pseudorandom tone sequences to mimic the dynamic acoustic microstructure of FM sweeps, we have developed a novel way to describe auditory receptive fields that captures the dynamic non-linear interactions underlying the encoding of these signals. Techniques include digital sound synthesis, neurophysiological recording of single-unit activity, anatomical tract tracing, and immunocytochemistry.
A second area of investigation is aimed at a common complaint of elderly listeners, who report having no trouble understanding speech in quiet, but suffer significant loss of intelligibility in noisy environments, even though they have minimal peripheral hearing loss. This effort is carried out by a team of investigators at the UR and Rochester Inst. of Technology. Our working hypothesis is that this problem is caused by deterioration of temporal processing in the central auditory system. To address this question, young and old human and animal subjects (inbred mice, gerbils, guinea pigs) are tested in parallel at functionally comparable life stages, with the intention of ultimately understanding which central auditory processes deteriorate with age, and what strategies might be developed to ameliorate this problem.
A third project, done in collaboration with NBA Department chair Dr. Gary Paige, also has an aging component. We are investigating in human subjects how spatial information, separately encoded in visual, auditory and vestibular coordinate space, is combined to create a unified sense of personal space, and how this concordance of spatial information processing changes with age. Current experiments being carried out by graduate and undergraduate students revolve around 1) the effect of distraction on auditory localization in the elderly, and 2) the effect of displaced eye or ear position on auditory localization.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS:

Zettel, M.L., X. Zhu, W.E. O'Neill, and R.D. Frisina. Age-related Decline in Kv3.1b Expression in the Mouse Auditory Brainstem Correlates with Functional Deficits in the Medial Olivocochlear Efferent System. J. Assoc. Res. Otolaryngol. 8(2): 280 – 293, 2007.
Razavi B., W.E. O'Neill, and G.D. Paige. Auditory spatial perception dynamically realigns with changing eye position. J. Neuroscience 27(38): 10,249 – 10,258, 2007.
Ison, J.R., P.D. Allen, and W.E. O'Neill. Age-related hearing loss in C57BL/6J mice has both frequency specific and non-frequency specific components that produce a hyperacusis-like exaggeration of the startle reflex. J. Assoc. Res. Otolaryngol. 8(4): 539-550, 2007.

Publications

Journal Articles

Leveraging Quality Improvement Science to Reduce C. difficile Infections in a Community Hospital.

Lambl BB, Altamimi S, Kaufman NE, Rein MS, Freeley M, Duram M, Krauss W, Kurowski J, O'Neill WE, Seeley P, Gagnon MJ, Phillips DE, Rubin MS

Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety. 2019 April 45 (4):285-294. Epub 12/05/2018.

Multiple time scales of the ventriloquism aftereffect.

Bosen AK, Fleming JT, Allen PD, O'Neill WE, Paige GD

PloS one.. 2018 13 (8):e0200930. Epub 08/01/2018.

Accumulation and decay of visual capture and the ventriloquism aftereffect caused by brief audio-visual disparities.

Bosen AK, Fleming JT, Allen PD, O'Neill WE, Paige GD

Experimental brain research.. 2017 February 235 (2):585-595. Epub 11/11/2016.

Comparison of congruence judgment and auditory localization tasks for assessing the spatial limits of visual capture.

Bosen AK, Fleming JT, Brown SE, Allen PD, O'Neill WE, Paige GD

Biological cybernetics.. 2016 December 110 (6):455-471. Epub 11/04/2016.

Active behavioral coping alters the behavioral but not the endocrine response to stress.

Helmreich DL, Tylee D, Christianson JP, Kubala KH, Govindarajan ST, O'Neill WE, Becoats K, Watkins L, Maier SF

Psychoneuroendocrinology.. 2012 December 37 (12):1941-8. Epub 05/10/2012.

Influence of age, spatial memory, and ocular fixation on localization of auditory, visual, and bimodal targets by human subjects.

Dobreva MS, O'Neill WE, Paige GD

Experimental brain research.. 2012 December 223 (4):441-55. Epub 10/14/2012.

Influence of aging on human sound localization

Dobreva, Marina S.; O'Neill, William E.; Paige, Gary D.

Journal of Neurophysiology. 2011; 105(5): 2471-2486.

Advancing age alters the influence of eye position on sound localization.

Cui QN, O'Neill WE, Paige GD

Experimental brain research.. 2010 October 206 (4):371-9. Epub 09/21/2010.

Patterned tone sequences reveal non-linear interactions in auditory spectrotemporal receptive fields in the inferior colliculus.

Brimijoin WO, O'Neill WE

Hearing research.. 2010 August 267 (1-2):96-110. Epub 04/27/2010.

Perception of auditory, visual, and egocentric spatial alignment adapts differently to changes in eye position.

Cui QN, Razavi B, O'Neill WE, Paige GD

Journal of neurophysiology.. 2010 February 103 (2):1020-35. Epub 10/21/2009.

Eye position and cross-sensory learning both contribute to prism adaptation of auditory space

Cui, Q. N.; Bachus, L.; Knoth, E.; O'Neill, W. E.; Paige, G. D.;.

Progress in Brain Research. 2008; 171: 265-70.

Eye position and cross-sensory learning both contribute to prism adaptation of auditory space.

Cui QN, Bachus L, Knoth E, O'Neill WE, Paige GD

Progress in brain research.. 2008 171 :265-70. Epub 1900 01 01.

Age-related hearing loss in C57BL/6J mice has both frequency-specific and non-frequency-specific components that produce a hyperacusis-like exaggeration of the acoustic startle reflex.

Ison JR, Allen PD, O'Neill WE

Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology : JARO.. 2007 December 8 (4):539-50. Epub 10/19/2007.

Auditory spatial perception dynamically realigns with changing eye position.

Razavi B, O'Neill WE, Paige GD

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience.. 2007 September 1927 (38):10249-58. Epub 1900 01 01.

Age-related decline in Kv3.1b expression in the mouse auditory brainstem correlates with functional deficits in the medial olivocochlear efferent system.

Zettel ML, Zhu X, O'Neill WE, Frisina RD

Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology : JARO.. 2007 June 8 (2):280-93. Epub 02/15/2007.

Age-related hearing loss in C57BL/6J mice has both frequency-specific and non-frequency-specific components that produce a hyperacusis-like exaggeration of the acoustic startle reflex

Ison, J. R.; Allen, P. D.; O'Neill, W. E.;.

J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2007; 8(4): 539-50.

Auditory Spatial Perception Dynamically Realigns with Changing Eye Position

Razavi, Babak; O'Neill, William E.; Paige, Gary D.;.

J. Neurosci. 2007; 27(38): 10249-10258.

Age-related decline in Kv3.1b expression in the mouse auditory brainstem correlates with functional deficits in the medial olivocochlear efferent system

Zettel, M. L.; Zhu, X.; O'Neill, W. E.; Frisina, R. D.;.

J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2007; 8(2): 280-93.

On the prediction of sweep rate and directional selectivity for FM sounds from two-tone interactions in the inferior colliculus.

Brimijoin WO, O'Neill WE

Hearing research.. 2005 December 210 (1-2):63-79. Epub 11/02/2005.

Thalamic projections to the auditory cortex in the rufous horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus rouxi). II. Dorsal fields.

Radtke-Schuller S, Schuller G, O'Neill WE

Anatomy and embryology.. 2004 November 209 (1):77-91. Epub 1900 01 01.

Thalamic projections to the auditory cortex in the rufous horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus rouxi). II. Dorsal fields

Radtke-Schuller, S.; Schuller, G.; O'Neill, W.E.; ry Cortex/me [Metabolism]; ry Pathways/me [Metabolism];.

Anatomy & Embryology. 2004; 209(1Nov): 77-91.

The effects of early bilateral deafening on calretinin expression in the dorsal cochlear nucleus of aged CBA/CaJ mice.

Zettel ML, O'Neill WE, Trang TT, Frisina RD

Hearing research.. 2003 September 183 (1-2):57-66. Epub 1900 01 01.

Directional selectivity for FM sweeps in the suprageniculate nucleus of the mustached bat medial geniculate body.

O'Neill WE, Brimijoin WO

Journal of neurophysiology.. 2002 July 88 (1):172-87. Epub 1900 01 01.

Early bilateral deafening prevents calretinin up-regulation in the dorsal cortex of the inferior colliculus of aged CBA/CaJ mice.

Zettel ML, O'Neill WE, Trang TT, Frisina RD

Hearing research.. 2001 August 158 (1-2):131-8. Epub 1900 01 01.

An extralemniscal component of the mustached bat inferior colliculus selective for direction and rate of linear frequency modulations.

Gordon M, O'Neill WE

The Journal of comparative neurology.. 2000 October 16426 (2):165-81. Epub 1900 01 01.

Temporal processing across frequency channels by FM selective auditory neurons can account for FM rate selectivity.

Gordon M, O'Neill WE

Hearing research.. 1998 August 122 (1-2):97-108. Epub 1900 01 01.

Age-related alteration in processing of temporal sound features in the auditory midbrain of the CBA mouse.

Walton JP, Frisina RD, O'Neill WE

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience.. 1998 April 118 (7):2764-76. Epub 1900 01 01.

Auditory motion induces directionally dependent receptive field shifts in inferior colliculus neurons.

Wilson WW, O'Neill WE

Journal of neurophysiology.. 1998 April 79 (4):2040-62. Epub 1900 01 01.

Calbindin D-28k immunoreactivity in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body declines with age in C57BL/6, but not CBA/CaJ, mice.

O'Neill WE, Zettel ML, Whittemore KR, Frisina RD

Hearing research.. 1997 October 112 (1-2):158-66. Epub 1900 01 01.

Age-related changes in calbindin D-28k and calretinin immunoreactivity in the inferior colliculus of CBA/CaJ and C57Bl/6 mice.

Zettel ML, Frisina RD, Haider SE, O'Neill WE

The Journal of comparative neurology.. 1997 September 15386 (1):92-110. Epub 1900 01 01.

Neural correlates of behavioral gap detection in the inferior colliculus of the young CBA mouse.

Walton JP, Frisina RD, Ison JR, O'Neill WE

Journal of comparative physiology. A, Sensory, neural, and behavioral

Calbindin D-28k Immunoreactivity in the Medial Nucleus of the Trapezoid Body Declines With Age in C57bl/6, But Not Cba/Caj, Mice

O'Neill, W.E.; Zettel, M.L.; Whittemore, K.R.; Frisina, R.D.;.

Hearing Research. 1997; 1125214: 158-166.

Age-related changes in calbindin D-28k and calretinin immunoreactivity in the inferior colliculus of CBA/CaJ and C57Bl/6 mice

Zettel, M.L.; Frisina, R.D.; Haider, S.; O'Neill, W.E.;.

Journal of Comparative Neurology. 1997; 3865173: 92-110.

Neural correlates of behavioral gap detection in the inferior colliculus of the young CBA mouse

Walton, J.P.; Frisina, R.D.; Ison, J.R.; O'Neill, W.E.;.

Journal of Comparative Physiology. A, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology. 1997; 1815216: 161-176.

Pulse-echo stimulus combinations can facilitate sonar signal vocalizations elicited by electrical stimulation of the anterior cingulate cortex in the mustache bat

O'Neill, W.E.; Basham, M.;.

Proc Third Intl Congr Neuroethology5026. 1992; : 272.

Calbindin-like immunoreactivity in the central auditory system of the mustached bat, Pteronotus parnelli.

Zettel ML, Carr CE, O'Neill WE

The Journal of comparative neurology.. 1991 November 1313 (1):1-16. Epub 1900 01 01.

Facilitation and Delay Sensitivity of Auditory Cortex Neurons in CF - FM Bats, Rhinolophus rouxi and Pteronotus p.parnellii.

Schuller G, O'Neill WE, Radtke-Schuller S

The European journal of neuroscience.. 1991 October 3 (11):1165-1181. Epub 1900 01 01.

The emission pattern of vocalizations and directionality of the sonar system in the echolocating bat, Pteronotus parnelli.

Henze D, O'Neill WE

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.. 1991 May 89 (5):2430-4. Epub 1900 01 01.

Facilitation and delay sensitivity of auditory cortex neurons in CF-FM bats, Rhinolophus rouxi and Pteronotus p. parnellii

Schuller, G.; O'Neill, W.E.; Radtke-Schuller, S.;.

European Journal of Neuroscience. 1991; 34974: 1165-1181.

Calbindin-like immunoreactivity in the central auditory system of the mustached bat, Pteronotus parnelli

Zettel, M.L.; Carr, C.E.; O'Neill, W.E.;.

Journal of Comparative Neurology. 1991; 3134989: 1-16.

ON-OFF units in the mustached bat inferior colliculus are selective for transients resembling "acoustic glint" from fluttering insect targets

Lesser, H.D.; O'Neill, W.E.; Frisina, R.D.; Emerson, R.C.;.

Experimental Brain Research. 1990; 825009: 137-148.

ON-OFF units in the mustached bat inferior colliculus are selective for transients resembling "acoustic glint" from fluttering insect targets.

Lesser HD, O'Neill WE, Frisina RD, Emerson RC

Experimental brain research.. 1990 82 (1):137-48. Epub 1900 01 01.

Functional organization of mustached bat inferior colliculus: I. Representation of FM frequency bands important for target ranging revealed by 14C-2-deoxyglucose autoradiography and single unit mapping.

O'Neill WE, Frisina RD, Gooler DM

The Journal of comparative neurology.. 1989 June 1284 (1):60-84. Epub 1900 01 01.

Functional organization of mustached bat inferior colliculus: II. Connections of the FM2 region.

Frisina RD, O'Neill WE, Zettel ML

The Journal of comparative neurology.. 1989 June 1284 (1):85-107. Epub 1900 01 01.

Functional organization of mustached bat inferior colliculus: II. Connections of the FM2 region

Frisina, R.D.; O'Neill, W.E.; Zettel, M.L.;.

Journal of Comparative Neurology. 1989; 2844799: 85-107.

Functional organization of mustached bat inferior colliculus: I. Representation of FM frequency bands important for target ranging revealed by (14)C-2-Deoxyglucose autoradiography and single unit mapping

O'Neill, W.E.; Frisina, R.D.; Gooler, D.M.;.

Journal of Comparative Neurology. 1989; 2844800: 60-84.

Topographic representation of vocal frequency demonstrated by microstimulation of anterior cingulate cortex in the echolocating bat, Pteronotus parnelli parnelli.

Gooler DM, O'Neill WE

Journal of comparative physiology. A, Sensory, neural, and behavioral

Topographic representation of vocal frequency demonstrated by microstimulation of anterior cingulate cortex in the echolocating bat, Pteronotus parnelli parnelli

Gooler, D.M.; O'Neill, W.E.;.

Journal of Comparative Physiology. A, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology. 1987; 1611077: 283-294.

Directional sensitivity of the auditory midbrain in the mustached bat to free-field tones

Makous, J.C.; O'Neill, W.E.;.

Hearing Research. 1986; 242254: 73-88.

Directional sensitivity of the auditory midbrain in the mustached bat to free-field tones.

Makous JC, O'Neill WE

Hearing research.. 1986 24 (1):73-88. Epub 1900 01 01.

Responses to pure tones and linear FM components of the CF-FM biosonar signal by single units in the inferior colliculus of the mustached bat.

O'Neill WE

Journal of comparative physiology. A, Sensory, neural, and behavioral

Responses to pure tones and linear FM components of the CF-FM biosonar signal by single units in the inferior colliculus of the mustached bat

O'Neill, W.E.;.

Journal of Comparative Physiology. A, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology. 1985; 15726: 797-815.

Specificity of combination-sensitive neurons for processing of complex biosonar signals in auditory cortex of the mustached bat.

Suga N, O'Neill WE, Kujirai K, Manabe T

Journal of neurophysiology.. 1983 June 49 (6):1573-626. Epub 1900 01 01.

Specificity of "combination sensitive" neurons for processing complex biosonar signals in the auditory cortex of the mustached bat

Suga, N.; O'Neill, W.E.; Kujirai, K.; Manabe, T.;.

Journal of Neurophysiology. 1983; 4932: 1573-1626.

Encoding of target range and its representation in the auditory cortex of the mustached bat.

O'Neill WE, Suga N

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience.. 1982 January 2 (1):17-31. Epub 1900 01 01.

Encoding of target range and its representation in the auditory cortex of the mustached bat

O'Neill, W.E.; Suga, N.;.

Journal of Neuroscience. 1982; 231: 17-31.

Neural axis representing target range in the auditory cortex of the mustache bat.

Suga N, O'Neill WE

Science.. 1979 October 19206 (4416):351-3. Epub 1900 01 01.

Harmonic-sensitive neurons in the auditory cortex of the mustache bat.

Suga N, O'Neill WE, Manabe T

Science.. 1979 January 19203 (4377):270-4. Epub 1900 01 01.

Target range-sensitive neurons in the auditory cortex of the mustache bat.

O'Neill WE, Suga N

Science.. 1979 January 5203 (4375):69-73. Epub 1900 01 01.

Target-range sensitive neurons in the auditory cortex of the mustached bat

O'Neill, W.E.; Suga, N.;.

Science. 1979; 20337: 69-73.

Neural axis representing target range in the auditory cortex of the mustached bat

Suga, N.; O'Neill, W.E.;.

Science. 1979; 20636: 351-353.

Harmonic-sensitive neurons in the auditory cortex of the mustache bat

Suga, N.; O'Neill, W.E.; Manabe, T.;.

Science. 1979; 203350: 270-274.

Cortical neurons sensitive to combinations of information-bearing elements of biosonar signals in the mustache bat.

Suga N, O'Neill WE, Manabe T

Science.. 1978 May 19200 (4343):778-81. Epub 1900 01 01.

Mechanisms of echolocation in bats - comments on the neuroethology of the biosonar system of CF-FM bats

Suga, N.; O'Neill, W.E.;.

Trends in Neuroscience. 1978; 1349: 35-38.

Cortical neurons sensitive to combinations of information-bearing elements of biosonar signals in the mustached bat

Suga, N.; O'Neill, W.E.; Manabe, T.;.

Science. 1978; 20030: 778-781.

Books

Using Eye Movements as an Experimental Probe of Brain Function (2008)

Chapter: Eye position and cross-sensory learning both contribute to prism adaptation of auditory space

Progress in Brain Research (2008)

Chapter: Eye position and cross-sensory learning both contribute to prism adaptation of auditory space.

Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins, (2003)

Chapter: The mustached bat auditory cortex.

Handbook of Mouse Auditory Research: From Behavior to Molecular Biology (2001)

Chapter: Elicitation and inhibition of the startle reflex by acoustic transients: Studies of age-related changes in temporal processing.

Hearing in Bats, Springer Handbook of Auditory Research (1995)

Chapter: The bat auditory cortex.

Hearing in Bats, Springer Handbook of Auditory Research (1995)

Chapter: Perspectives on the functional organization of the mammalian auditory system: Why bats are good models.

Animal Sonar: Processes and Performance. (1988)

Chapter: Central control of frequency in biosonar emissions of the mustached bat.

Physiological Control of Mammalian Vocalizations (1988)

Chapter: The central control of biosonar signal production in bats demonstrated by microstimulation of anterior cingulate cortex in the echolocating bat, Pteronotus parnelli parnelli.

Animal Sonar: Processes and Performance. (1988)

Chapter: Processing of paired biosonar signals in the cortices of Rhinolophus rouxi and Pteronotus parnellii. A comparative neurophysiological and neuroanatomical study.

Animal Sonar: Processes and Performance. (1988)

Chapter: Target range processing pathways in the auditory system of the mustached bat.

Recent Advances in the Study of Bats (1987)

Chapter: Processing of temporal information in the auditory systems of echolocating bats.

Neuronal Mechanisms of Hearing (1981)

Chapter: How biosonar information is represented in the bat cerebral cortex.

Animal Sonar Systems (1980)

Chapter: Auditory processing of echoes: Representation of acoustic information from the environment in the bat cerebral cortex.

Animal Sonar Systems (1980)

Chapter: Range processing at the highest levels of the auditory system.