prof. dr. P. (Pim) van Dijk

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a very common and potentially devastating condition. People with tinnitus hear a sound that has no corresponding sound source in the environment. Many people describe hearing a high-pitched tone or wistle, but a wide range of sounds is described. For example, tinnitus may sound like this. Obviously, tinnitus can be highly disturbing and may completely disrupt the living of a normal life. Our research focusses on understanding the pathophysiology of this condition. We apply neuroimaging and psychoacoustic techniques to disentagle the complicated mechanisms that appear to be involved in the generation of tinnitus. Understanding of these biological mechanisms will be essential for the development of a cure for tinnitus. See also www.tinact.eu.

Inner ear biophysics

The inner ear is a remarkable structure. The human ear has a dynamic range of about 120 dB and frequency range of about 10 octaves (20-20000 Hz). The ear of other vertebrates show similar capapbilities, although the exact numbers vary from species to species. We study biophysical mechanisms in vertebrates mainly by measuring otoacoustic emissions. Otoacoustic emissions are sounds emitted from within the ear. Emissions can be measured with a very sensitive microphone connected to the ear. We explore the properties of these emitted sounds to study mechanical/acoustical mechanisms in the inner ears of various vertebrate species.

Medical physics audiology training / opleiding tot klinisch fysicus-audioloog

Het Universitair Audiologische Centrum van het UMCG leidt fysici en biomedisch technologen op tot klinisch fysicus-audioloog. Het UMCG biedt een veelzijdige en dynamische opleidingsomgeving. De opleiding wordt aangeboden in samenwerking met het Pento Audiologisch Centrum in Zwolle. De opleiding duurt 4 jaar, waarvan 1 jaar besteed wordt aan wetenschappelijk onderzoek en 3 jaar aan het ontwikkelen van klinische-audiologisch vaardigheden en kennis. De opleiding is erkend door de Stichting Opleiding Klinisch Fysicus.