New Research Uncovers Function of Inner Ear Involved in Speech Processing
SOMERSET, NEW JERSEY – Research recently published in Science Communications, by an international team of researchers from Oticon and Interacoustics, has revealed a previously undiscovered function in the inner ear that detects the acoustic details in speech before it is converted into information for the brain. The findings may help professionals learn more about individual hearing…
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New Gene Discovery Could Lead to Hearing Loss Prevention Drug
According to a recent report in an October issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, a team of UC San Francisco researchers have discovered a gene that plays an essential role in noise-induced deafness. By administering an experimental chemical — identified in a separate UCSF lab in 2013 — that acts on the pathway linking…
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Longitudinal Study Shows Relationship Between Cognition, Untreated Hearing Loss and Social Isolation
Readers may recall a July 2017 Lancet study which estimated 35% of the risk factors associated with dementia was modifiable, and that the most prominent modifiable risk factor was hearing loss, which contributed 9% toward the acceleration or possible onset of dementia. A study, published in JAMA Otolaryngology last week, builds on this eye-opening data.…
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Two New Studies Show the Value of Both Audiologist-driven and Patient-driven Fitting Approaches
Famed Nobel Laureate, physicist, Richard Feynman, once said, “The statements of science are not what is true or not true, but statements of what is known with different degrees of certainty.” Two recently published papers, each examining a different angle of the hearing aid fitting process, demonstrate how Feynman’s aphorism accurately describes some of the…
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University of Miami Receives $3M NIH Grant for Genetic Hearing Loss Research
MIAMI, FLORIDA — The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology has received a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that will fund research related to biological treatments and clinical diagnosis of patients with hearing loss. The grant allows Xue Zhong Liu, M.D., Ph.D., professor of otolaryngology, human…
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Tulane Hearing Loss Research Study Gets $1.8M Grant from NIDCD
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — A researcher at Tulane University has been awarded a $1.8 million grant to “develop a better understanding of healthy human hearing and lay the groundwork for future treatment of hearing disorders”. The five-year grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) will allow Tulane assistant professor of…
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HHTM Hearing News Round-up: This Week’s Notable Stories
Newsworthy items affecting the audiology profession and hearing care industry. Grab a strong cup of coffee (or a tea, if that’s your thing) and click on some of the links listed below to learn more. CMS Attempting to Streamline Paperwork and Restore Doctor-Patient Relationship On July 12, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid…
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While a Mysterious Part of the Ear is Revealed, Origin of Aural Attacks Continues to Baffle
The ceaseless march of technological progress in hearing science continues to amaze, yet mysteries of the ear still abound. Two recent headlines in the news show that as some questions get answered, others remain open. A study published June 19 in eLife, revealed a unique biological mechanism for maintaining fluid pressure and composition involving the…
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Children with Hearing Loss Experience More Bullying: Study
DALLAS, TEXAS — A new study from researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) indicates that children and adolescents with hearing loss experience higher rates of peer victimization, or bullying, than children with normal hearing. The study, published in the journal Exceptional Children, showed the type of bullying experienced by children hearing loss…
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USC Scientists Develop Method to Repair Damage to Cochlea
Recent research indicates hearing loss is expected to nearly double in 40 years. This figure includes individuals who suffer from the condition of “hidden hearing loss,” which is generally defined to be damage to the inner ear that leads to difficulty hearing soft voices in the presence of background noise, but an audiogram within the…
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