University of Maryland-College Park · BiologyThe Auditory Enhancement Lab
Matheus Macedo-Lima · College Park, Maryland
Research Focus
Dr. Matheus Macedo-Lima's lab at the University of Maryland focuses on understanding how we learn to improve our auditory perception through reinforcement mechanisms in the brain. By studying how the brain's reward center interacts with training in auditory tasks, the lab aims to shed light on how perception can be enhanced or restored, especially in individuals with hearing impairments. This research combines elements of neuroscience, behavior, and training to explore the plasticity of the auditory system.
auditory perceptionperceptual learningneuromodulationdopaminergic signalingelectrophysiologyreinforcement learningoptogeneticsbehavioral neurosciencesensory circuits
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how VTA dopaminergic neurons signal prediction errors during auditory perceptual learning.
AIM 02Examine the role of reinforcement cues in enhancing auditory detection of weak signals.
AIM 03Test the effects of optogenetic modulation of VTA neurons on auditory learning processes.
AIM 04Explore the plastic changes in auditory cortical regions due to perceptual learning training.
AIM 05Develop potential interventions to improve auditory functions in hard-of-hearing populations.
Skills the Lab Values
fiber photometryhigh channel-count electrophysiologyoptogenetic manipulationanimal behavior analysisdata acquisition and analysisstatistical analysis using softwareexperimental designtraining animals for behavioral tasksindependent research planning
Output against the department
Publications29bottom 3% of dept.998th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations340bottom 1% of dept.1,018th 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.