Ruth Anne Eatock

Ruth Anne Eatock is a Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the University of Chicago, where she leads research on mechanosensory signaling in the inner ear. Her laboratory focuses on the mouse utricle to study fundamental neurobiological questions including mechanotransduction, sensory mapping, synaptic transmission across calyceal synapses, and neural encoding of sensory information in primary afferent neurons.

• PhD in Biology from Caltech, Pasadena
• B.Sc. Honours in Neurobiology from McGill University, Montreal
• M.Sc. in Biology from McGill University, Montreal
• Auditory Physiology training at MIT & Harvard, Cambridge/Boston

Dr. Eatock's research centers on vestibular physiology with specific expertise in hair cell biology, ion channel function, and neural coding in the inner ear. Her work investigates how mechanosensitive receptor cells and primary afferent neurons process information about head movements and position. She has made significant contributions to understanding voltage-gated potassium, sodium, and calcium channels in vestibular hair cells, and how these channels shape neural signaling in the vestibular system. Her research program integrates electrophysiological, molecular, and behavioral approaches to understand sensory processing in the vestibular system.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on potassium channel subunits (particularly KV1.8/Kcna10) and their role in vestibular hair cell function, sodium channel diversity in vestibular ganglion neurons, and the structural organization of vestibular hair cells including mirror-image orientation and membrane contact sites. Her work demonstrates how specific ion channel properties enable precise neural coding of vestibular stimuli, with implications for understanding balance disorders and developing potential therapeutic approaches.

Dr. Eatock served as Principal Investigator on NIH grant R01DC012347 (Synaptic Processing in the Vestibular System) from February 2012 to February 2023. Her laboratory has trained numerous students and postdoctoral fellows who have gone on to successful careers in neuroscience and related fields. She has made significant methodological contributions to the field, particularly in techniques for recording from hair cells and vestibular afferents.

The Eatock Lab at the University of Chicago comprises a team of researchers investigating signaling mechanisms in the inner ear. The lab maintains strong collaborations with other laboratories studying sensory systems, both within the University of Chicago and at other institutions. Current research focuses on understanding how specific ion channel properties enable precise neural coding of vestibular stimuli, with implications for understanding balance disorders and developing potential therapeutic approaches.