Researchers Identify a New Mechanism Responsible for Controlling Auditory Sensitivity
BOULDER, COLORADO — A new study published in PNAS highlights a newly identified mechanism of how auditory sensitivity is regulated that could temporarily reduce sensitivity of the auditory system to protect itself from loud sounds that can cause irreversible damage. The study, led by University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus researchers Andrew Mecca and Giusy Caprara,…
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New research uncovers key factor controlling ear development at early stages
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — A new King’s College-led study, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has found that a single factor (a protein coding gene known as Sox8) can make non-ear cells adopt ear character during embryo development. The findings not only demonstrate how cell fate decisions are regulated in the…
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URMC Researchers Reveal How Brain Understands One Voice in a Noisy Crowd
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK — In a crowded room where many people are talking, such as a family birthday party or busy restaurant, our brains have the ability to focus our attention on a single speaker. Understanding this scenario and how the brain processes stimuli like speech, language, and music has been the research focus of…
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Researcher Receives $1.8M to Study Effect of Hormones on Hearing Loss
A University of Iowa biologist has received funding from the National Institutes of Health to further investigate how a hormone may prevent hearing loss in humans. Steven Green will continue his research into how responses to progesterone will lead to therapeutics for repairing damage to the inner ear caused by noise. Previous research has shown that…
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A Combination of Sound and Silence May Help Slow the Progression Hearing Loss
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have found intermittent broadband sound played over an extended period of time preserved sensory cells in the ear, while also rewiring some of the central auditory system in the brain, helping preserve the ability to sense the timing of sounds. “By showing that the detection of sound…
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A Common Ancestor for Cells Involved in Hearing and Touch
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have found that the sensory cells in the inner ear and the touch receptors in the skin have a lot in common, according to a new study from the USC Stem Cell laboratory of Neil Segil published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences…
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Researchers Develop First 3D Sound Frequency Map of Inner Ear Using Advanced X-Ray Technology
Researchers at Uppsala University have created the first 3D map of the hearing nerve showing where the various sound frequencies are captured. Using what is known as synchrotron X-ray imaging, they were able to trace the fine nerve threads and the vibrating auditory organ, the cochlea, and find out exactly how the frequencies of incoming…
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New Research Helps Shed light on How Hearing Happens at the Molecular Level
We hear sounds in part because tiny filaments inside our inner ears help convert voices, music and noises into electrical signals that are sent to our brains for processing. Now, scientists have mapped and simulated those filaments at the atomic level, a discovery that shed lights on how the inner ear works and that could…
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Pipeline Therapeutics Initiates Phase 1/2a Clinical Trial of PIPE-505 to Treat Sensorineural Hearing Loss
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA –Pipeline Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of first-in-class small molecules for neuroregeneration, today announced the initiation of a Phase 1/2a trial of the company’s lead product candidate, PIPE-505, a small molecule gamma secretase inhibitor (GSI), in sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) associated with hearing speech in noisy environments.…
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Research Finds Sense of Hearing Persists at End of Life
Hearing is widely thought to be the last sense to go in the dying process. Now University of British Columbia (UBC) researchers have evidence that some people may still be able to hear while in an unresponsive state at the end of their life. This research, published recently in Scientific Reports, is the first to investigate…
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