Tinnitus Key Cellular Mechanisms IdentifiedAbout 10% of the population is affected by hearing loss and tinnitus, a perception of sounds, such as ringing or buzzing in the ear in the absence of corresponding external sound, which typically develops after acoustic over-exposure to loud noises...
The Potential And Limitations Of Gene Therapy For Hearing LossRegenerating sensory hair cells, which produce electrical signals in response to vibrations within the inner ear, could form the basis for treating age- or trauma-related hearing loss. One way to do this could be with gene therapy that drives new sensory hair cells to grow...
Study Identifies Key Cellular Mechanisms Behind The Onset Of TinnitusResearchers in the University of Leicester's Department of Cell Physiology and Pharmacology have identified a cellular mechanism that could underlie the development of tinnitus following exposure to loud noises. The discovery could lead to novel tinnitus treatments, and investigations into potential drugs to prevent tinnitus are currently underway...
Improved Understanding Of How Hearing WorksResearchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have gained important new insights into how our sense of hearing works. Their findings promise new avenues for scientists to understand what goes wrong when people experience deafness. Their findings are published in Royal Society Open Biology, a new open access journal...
Where Touch And Hearing Meet Given that vision and hearing are vital in day-to-day living, an individual generally notices any impairment of these senses right away. Regardless of the fact that various known genetic mutations can result in hereditary vision and hearing defects, little knowledge exists about the sense of touch as defects may not be as obvious, and therefore may go unnoticed...
Detecting Some Causes Of Hearing Loss, Dizziness, With Cone Beam CTCone beam CT is superior to mutidetector CT for detecting superior semicircular canal dehiscence or the so called third window (a small hole in the bony wall of the inner ear bone that can cause dizziness and hearing loss) and it uses half the radiation dose, a new study shows...
Touch And Hearing Impaired By Gene Mutation According to a study conducted by Dr. Henning Frenzel and Professor Gary R. Lewin of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, two of the 5 human senses - hearing and touch - have a common genetic basis. In individuals with Usher syndrome, the researchers identified a gene variation that is also responsible for the patients' impaired touch sensitivity...
Bilingualism Fine-Tunes Hearing, Enhances AttentionA Northwestern University study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) provides the first biological evidence that bilinguals' rich experience with language in essence "fine-tunes" their auditory nervous system and helps them juggle linguistic input in ways that enhance attention and working memory...
High-Frequency Hearing LossThe genetics responsible for frequency-specific hearing loss have remained elusive until recently, when genetic loci were found that affected high-frequency hearing...
Cochlear Implants Restore Hearing In Rare DisorderClinical-researchers from University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center report that cochlear implantation provides an effective and safe way of restoring hearing in patients with far advanced otosclerosis (FAO), a hereditary condition that can lead to severe hearing loss...
Insomnia Takes Toll On Tinnitus PatientsFor the more than 36 million people plagued by tinnitus, insomnia can have a negative effect on the condition, worsening the functional and emotional toll of chronic ringing, buzzing, hissing or clicking in the head and ears, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit...
Sudden Hearing Loss - First National Guidelines PublishedThe first national treatment guideline for sudden hearing loss has been developed by a panel of 19 medical experts led by Robert J. Stachler, M.D., an otolaryngologist in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. Sudden hearing loss is a condition which sends thousands of individuals in the United States to the emergency room each year...