Your generous support produced significant achievements this past year.
Improving How to Assess Speech Production
During typical conversational interactions, humans use over 100 different muscles in the vocal tract to produce up to six to nine syllables per second, which is one of the fastest types of motor behavior.
Common Imaging Test for the Heart Applied to the Inner Ear
The research team is using medical imaging involving the use of a tracer—a small amount of radioactive material that will allow radiologists to see what’s occurring inside the ear.
In Memoriam: Bryan Pollard of Hyperacusis Research
Bryan Pollard single-handedly created an entirely new diagnosis in the field of otology—pain hyperacusis—and worked tirelessly on behalf of those who suffered from it. He would become the most prominent patient-activist and the driving force for promoting research nationally focused on this condition.
$12.5 Million NIH Grant Awarded to Continue Hidden Hearing Loss Research
Funding from the grant extends support of four projects at Mass Eye and Ear that aim to clarify the prevalence, nature, and functional consequences of hidden hearing loss in humans. The work promises to inform cellular-based diagnosis and development of future therapies.
How Pharmacists Can Help Bridge the Gap in Hearing Care for Seniors
After reviewing the literature on pharmacy, audiology, and their integration, this paper aims to provide pharmacists with education on hearing loss that colleagues in audiology believe is most critical for pharmacists.
Hearing Aid Use Improves Brain Processing Over Time
The brain adjusts quickly to amplified sound—that’s a good thing. But the brain’s ability to fully interpret amplified signals in a meaningful way requires a longer period of time. The typical hearing aid trial period is 30 days, so the hearing aid user may not be experiencing the full benefits of amplification at the end of that period.
Protocols for Preparing Mouse Balance Organs for Research
One challenge in studying vestibular organs is their location within the bony inner ear and their small size, especially in mice, which have become an advantageous mammalian model.
Clues to How the Auditory Cortex Controls Subcortical Circuits
Our results may provide broadly generalizable insight into how the mammalian brain dynamically processes incoming sensory information.
Hearing Health Foundation Mourns the Passing of Neil Segil, Ph.D.
Neil Segil, Ph.D., died peacefully in his sleep on July 2 at his home in California. He had been battling pancreatic cancer and was able to spend the last couple of months at home with his family. Neil’s contributions to science, HHF’s Hearing Restoration Project, and many colleagues’ careers were invaluable.