What these findings make clear is that audiologists are carrying an enormous clinical load. Much of what surrounds that load does not require their specialized training.
The Power of Collaboration
Why is a particular gene silent in a mouse supporting cell but active in a chicken supporting cell? Is the difference epigenetic? Are regulatory regions locked down in mammals? These are the kinds of questions we can now pursue systematically.
Powerful New Biosensor Maps Zinc Signaling at Single-cell Resolution in Brain
Using the new biosensor, we discovered that zinc signaling is directly involved in how the brain processes sound in the auditory cortex during sound processing and in the amygdala during aversive responses.
Complexity Behind Why Hearing in Noise Gets Harder With Age
Younger and older adults improved at similar rates from lower levels of noise—meaning that both groups benefited equally from better listening conditions. But older adults needed a head start: They needed lower levels of background noise to reach the same accuracy.
Serotonin’s Dual Action in the Auditory Midbrain
Serotonin seems to quiet down excitatory neurons while boosting inhibitory ones. This differential modulation may help us to understand the role of serotonin in auditory disorders such as tinnitus and age-related hearing loss.
Can You Hear Me?
In addition to conducting research, I realized that prevention is just as important, or even more important than treatment. Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is becoming increasingly prevalent among Gen Z—my peers—due to increased access to personal listening devices and loud entertainment events.
Building a Bridge Between Linguistics and Audiology
The internship last summer provided my first real chance to step into hearing science and learn the experimental side of speech perception under the tutelage of a senior researcher.
ARO 2026 in Puerto Rico
We are proud that Hearing Health Foundation-funded scientists are always well represented at Association for Research in Otolaryngology MidWinter Meeting.
Research Shows How Auditory Feedback Sharpens Speech
For individuals with long-term hearing loss or severely degraded auditory input, the lack of reliable auditory feedback represents a challenge many orders of magnitude greater than the temporary masking used in this study.
Combining Auditory and Visual Information for Better Speech Understanding
These findings suggest that the ability to integrate what is seen with what is heard becomes increasingly important with age, especially for cochlear implant users.