These seven early career scientists were chosen through a rigorous review by HHF’s Scientific Review Committee and Council of Scientific Trustees, comprising senior expert scientists and physicians from across the U.S. The researchers are investigating a range of hearing and balance areas and also, as demonstrated in our Meet the Researcher column, have diverse interests in their free time, which more often than not informs their work.
Chloroquine to Fight COVID-19: Mechanisms and Adverse Effects
The COVID-19 outbreak emerged in December 2019 and has rapidly become a global pandemic. A great deal of effort has been made to find effective drugs against this disease. Two structurally related quinoline drugs, chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), were widely adopted in treating COVID-19, but the results were contradictory.
Age-Related Hearing Loss and Brainwave Changes
Brain oscillations (brainwaves) are associated with specific cognitive and sensory processes. How age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) alters the oscillations is unclear. Age-related speech recognition problems can be caused by changes in neurotransmission (chemical messaging between nerve cells) and temporal processing (the perception of sound within a defined time frame).
Recap: Hearing Health Hour Webinar Kickoff
On October 26, Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) hosted “Age-Related Hearing Loss: Problems and Solutions” on Zoom, the first installment of our new Hearing Health Hour webinar series. Hearing Health Hour webinars bring HHF supporters the latest developments in hearing and balance research through the voices of our Emerging Research Grants (ERG) alum community. All sessions include an interactive Q&A with the speaker.
2020-2021 Emerging Research Grants Recipients Announced
Starting with this 2020–2021 ERG cycle, HHF is increasing the available annual amount per project to $50,000 and will also make grants renewable for a second year. We look forward to learning about the advances these promising researchers will undoubtedly make in the coming year and beyond.
COVID-19: A Potential Cause of Sudden Hearing Loss?
In the journal Otology & Neurology on Sept. 4, 2020, we reported a case of an 18-year-old woman who arrived as a patient in our clinic with seven weeks of sudden hearing loss in both ears, intermittent aural fullness (sensation of clogged ears), and vertigo. Her hearing test showed a moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss in the right ear, and a moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss in the left ear.
Sharp Attention Explains Why the Early Bird Gets the Worm
Auditory attention is the ability to focus on specific sounds. Attention capture is the involuntary response to sound targets in the environment. For humans, auditory attention can mean having a conversation in a noisy room, but still recognizing and responding (attention capture) to hearing a name being called from a distance.
Traumatic Brain Injury Affects Auditory Quality of Life Even With Typical Hearing Thresholds
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. There are an estimated 3.2 to 5.3 million individuals in the United States who are living with a TBI-related disability, and the estimated societal cost is in excess of $76 billion per year.
Emerging Research Grants (ERG) Applications Are Open
Through the Emerging Research Grants (ERG) program, Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) provides seed money to researchers working across the entire spectrum of hearing research and balance research, including many underfunded areas of otology. The ERG program has since 1958 played a foundational role in the careers of many academic researchers and clinicians in otolaryngology and related hearing and balance fields.
UM School of Medicine Researchers Identify Role of Crucial Protein in Development of New Hair Cells Needed for Hearing
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have conducted a study that has determined the role that a critical protein plays in the development of hair cells. These hair cells are vital for hearing. Some of these cells amplify sounds that come into the ear, and others transform sound waves into electrical signals that travel to the brain.