The COVID-19 mandated transition to online learning has not been easy for most students, whether in elementary school, high school, or university. I am a college sophomore and the experience has been disruptive. Campus life is imperative to most university students, and a global health crisis means that university life has been put on hold.
Moving on From Ménière's
About eight years ago when I was 46, a few days after having a very stressful cataract surgery, I started to trip over my own feet. My balance has never been very good, but this was out of the ordinary, even for me. I had to ask my husband to come home from work to take care of our 8-year-old son. After the attack passed, I noticed that I wasn't hearing very well out of my right ear. I went to the doctor, who thought it was a sinus infection and gave me an antibiotic.
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.
Hearing Is Believing
I lost my hearing suddenly and in both ears at age 21. It was May 1957. I was on lunch break with friends and heading back to the Boston ad agency where we worked. Suddenly I pitched forward, losing my balance. The hearing in my left ear disappeared. Days later, my right ear lost nearly all hearing too.