Hearing loss occurs when sensory hair cells of the inner ear (cochlea) are damaged or die. The goal of the Hearing Restoration Project (HRP) is to develop therapeutic methods to convert the cells that remain after damage into new, completely functional sensory hair cells, restoring hearing. We know that in most species—but not mammals, like humans and mice—hair cells robustly regenerate on their own after damage to the auditory system.
Association Between Nonoptimal Blood Pressure and Cochlear Function
High blood pressure (BP) is a common chronic condition in the United States with an estimated prevalence among adults of 31 percent, or 69 million. In addition to an increased risk of stroke and heart disease, elevated BP may also increase risk of hearing loss. In fact, the two commonly co-occur. Numerous studies have evaluated the association between hearing loss and risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high BP.
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Overcome Pediatric Listening Difficulties
Listening difficulties occur in children diagnosed with auditory processing disorders (also known as central auditory processing disorders) and may co-occur in children who have developmental language disorder or attention/memory deficits. Persistent listening difficulties negatively affect children's learning and functioning. Studying factors that influence children’s listening performance using a unified multidisciplinary approach is crucial to better identify and manage deficits that contribute to listening difficulties in children.
Sunnybrook Researchers Have Developed a New Way to Detect Hearing Loss In Blood
In their pre-clinical research, Dr. Dabdoub and Dr. Sahar Mahshid, research associate, have designed a biosensor test to detect otolin-1 and prestin, two unique proteins which can be found circulating in blood and are linked to balance and hearing disorders respectively. The test, which is patent pending, is comparable to a glucose monitor and requires only a drop of blood.
2020-2021 Scientific Grantees Announced
Scientific researchers have, like all of us, faced numerous challenges over the past months of the COVID-19 crisis, but have continued the science throughout, whether in reduced occupancy labs or remote, driven by their dedication to advance knowledge and contribute to the treatment and, ultimately, cure for hearing loss and other hearing and balance disorders. HHF’s donors have shown similar dedication, and HHF is happy to provide research funding to the exceptionally promising projects below.
A Clue Toward Understanding Difficulties With Speech Perception in Noise
While it is well known that hearing loss degrades speech perception, especially in noisy environments, less is understood as to why some individuals with typical hearing may also struggle with speech perception in noise (SPiN). Several factors appear to contribute to SPiN abilities in adults with typical hearing, including the top-down cognitive functions of attention, working memory, and inhibition.
USC Stem Cell Study Shows When to Quit “Yapping”
It turns out that to hear a person yapping, you need a protein called Yap. Working as part of what is known as the Yap/Tead complex, this important protein sends signals to the hearing organ to attain the correct size during embryonic development, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences (PNAS) from the USC Stem Cell laboratory of Neil Segil.
Study Charts Developmental Map of Inner Ear Sound Sensor in Mice
Scientists at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their collaborators analyzed data from 30,000 cells from mouse cochlea, the snail-shaped structure of the inner ear. The results provide insights into the genetic programs that drive the formation of cells important for detecting sounds. The study also sheds light specifically on the underlying cause of hearing loss linked to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and Loeys-Dietz syndrome.
Tinnitus and Noise Trauma to the Inner Ear
Tinnitus itself is not a disease but rather a symptom of an underlying condition that can be classified into subtypes based on its many causes. In our article in the April 30, 2020, volume of the journal Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America, we focus primarily on noise-induced tinnitus, whether acute or chronic, which is most likely the most common type.
Data Made Visual
Over the past several years, Hearing Health Foundation (HHF)’s Hearing Restoration Project (HRP) has generated a significant amount of data. Part of the challenge for HRP consortium members, as for many life scientists, comes not only from the amount of data they need to analyze but also the need to examine multi-omic datasets.