University of Chicago · BiologyEatock Vestibular Lab
Ruth Anne Eatock · Chicago, Illinois
Research Focus
Dr. Ruth Anne Eatock's lab at the University of Chicago studies how the inner ear processes head movements to maintain balance and stable vision. The research focuses on different types of hair cells in the vestibular system, examining how they send signals to the brain during motion. By understanding the mechanisms behind sensory signal integration and how different nerve fibers encode head motion, this lab contributes to our understanding of balance and spatial orientation.
vestibular systeminner earsignal encodinghair cellsbalance
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate how quantal and nonquantal signaling are integrated in vestibular afferent firing.
AIM 02Analyze the role of type I and type II hair cells in coding head motion signals.
AIM 03Explore how afferent populations work together to convey head motion information.
Skills the Lab Values
mouse modelscalcium imagingelectrophysiologysynaptic transmission analysiscomputational modeling
Output against the department
Publications110bottom 38% of dept.634th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations5.6kbottom 41% of dept.610th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.