Hearing Health Foundation (HHF)’s scientists study sensory cells in various species to better understand how they are damaged and how they can be regenerated to restore human hearing. Here are five of the most breathtaking images from our scientists’ labs showcasing the beauty of the hearing and balance functions.
Spotlight On: Lisa Goodrich, Ph.D., Scientific Director of the Hearing Restoration Project
Lisa Goodrich, Ph.D., became the new scientific director of the HRP in January 2021, having since 2016 served as a member of HHF’s Scientific Advisory Board. Goodrich is a professor of neurobiology at Harvard Medical School whose lab focuses on how neural circuits develop and function.
A Combination of Genes to Enhance Hair Cell Regeneration in the Adult Mammalian Cochlea
Due to the lack of spontaneous regeneration, the hearing loss caused by hair cell loss is permanent. One way to envision future biological/medical repair of the hair cell-depleted inner ear is to medically induce the generation of new hair cells.
Webinar Recap: Measuring Tinnitus and Reactions to Tinnitus
This webinar was led by 2012 ERG scientist Richard Tyler, Ph.D., who is professor & director of audiology in the departments of otolaryngology and communication sciences and disorders at the University of Iowa. Tyler emphasized that tinnitus, the sensation of ringing in the ears that usually coincides with a hearing loss, can be measured.
Mass Spectrometry Imaging Reveals Effect of Blasts on Neurotransmitter Levels in the Chinchilla Model
To date there are no clear, definitive management recommendations for tinnitus, whether non-pharmacological or pharmacological. This is mainly due to a poor understanding of the pathomechanism (causes) of tinnitus. An imbalance in the excitation and inhibition of neurotransmitters is implicated, but more research is warranted.
Hearing Difficulties in Noise Traced to Altered Brain Dynamics Following Cochlear Neural Degeneration
The challenge is hearing in noisy environments. In humans, evidence suggests that difficulty hearing in noisy, social settings may reflect premature auditory nerve degeneration. We report finding deterioration in perception in noisy environments after inducing bilateral moderate auditory nerve degeneration in adult mice.
COVID-19 and Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, and Vertigo
Over the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic, case reports and studies have suggested a link between the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 and hearing loss and related conditions.
Evaluation of a New Method for Measuring Pediatric Hearing
In our method, a child is trained to perform a play-based task when a signal is heard. An experimenter—called an observer—watches the child’s behavior to determine when the signal was played. In contrast to clinical testing methods, the signal is randomly placed in one of two intervals for each trial by the computer program.
Deciphering a Mechanism Behind Bone Conduction Hyperacusis
The underlying mechanism of bone conduction sound transmission to the inner ear has been elusive and poorly understood because bone conduction sound transmission is complex—multiple frequency-dependent mechanisms may be involved.
Discovery of a New Type of Neuron Holds Clues About Tinnitus
The goal of this study was to take a closer look at the VCN, which may reveal new types of inhibitory neurons with functions that could be of clinical significance. By carefully examining the diversity of inhibitory neurons in the VCN using transgenic mice, super-resolution microscopy, and the latest tools to study the structure and properties of individual neurons, we discovered a novel class of inhibitory cell.