This Week in Hearing

A deeper understanding of how the brain regulates sound perception through inner ear nerve fibers could transform the way hearing loss is diagnosed and managed. In this conversation, Dr. John Oghalai explores groundbreaking research that uncovers the brain’s role in modulating cochlear nerve fibers to adjust sound levels in response to hearing loss. These findings provide new insights into auditory

Dr. Barry Freeman has had a distinguished career that spans academia, private practice, industry and global audiology education. As a past president of the American Academy of Audiology, Dr. Freeman has been instrumental in shaping the profession, advancing the recognition of audiologists, and promoting access to quality hearing care. Dr. Freeman has been at the forefront of transforming audiology into

The Signia Pure Charge&Go BCT IX hearing aids bring several advanced upgrades designed to enhance the user experience. Powered by a newly redesigned chip, these hearing aids offer improved sound quality and extended battery life, providing up to 36 hours of use, including five hours of streaming. New features, such as a convenient LED light indicator and a tactile button

Access to communication is a fundamental right, yet for many individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing in the prison system, it remains a significant challenge. In this discussion, Paul Lee, COO of InnoCaption, joins Shari Eberts to discuss InnoCaption Connect, a program designed to bring real-time captioned calls to incarcerated individuals. With an estimated 10% of the prison

Hearing technology is evolving, and fully implantable devices are becoming a reality. In this discussion, Brent Lucas, CEO of Envoy Medical, joins Shari Eberts to talk about the company’s fully implantable hearing solutions, including the Esteem active middle ear implant and the Acclaim fully implantable cochlear implant, which is currently in clinical trials. Unlike traditional hearing aids and cochlear implants,

Will genetic therapies revolutionize hearing loss treatment? Dr. Christo Bester, Head of Implant Innovation at Ear Science Institute Australia, discusses the emerging role of gene therapy and personalized medicine in hearing restoration. He highlights the Aussie Earbank initiative, a pioneering effort to collect genetic samples and audiometric data, helping researchers develop targeted treatments. With over 155 genes linked to hearing

Hearing therapeutics are advancing rapidly, but how close are we to real breakthroughs? That was the focus of ‘The State of Hearing Therapeutics’, a panel discussion held during the 2025 Hearing Therapeutics Summit on February 4th. The discussion provided a deep dive into the latest advancements in hearing restoration, including gene therapy, regenerative medicine, and pharmaceutical approaches to treating sensorineural

GN’s new ReSound Vivia hearing aids integrate advanced AI to deliver a more adaptive and personalized listening experience. The devices leverage a deep neural network (DNN) trained on 13.5 million spoken sentences, enabling it to differentiate speech from background noise more effectively than previous models. Alongside ReSound Vivia, GN also launched ReSound Savi, a new essentials range featuring Bluetooth LE

Hearing loss affects millions worldwide, but could a cure be within reach? Researchers at Stanford’s SICHL are making significant strides in regenerative medicine and innovative therapies to address one of the most common sensory impairments. Dr. Tina Stankovic, Chair of Otolaryngology at Stanford University, discusses the latest advancements in hearing loss research and the collaborative approach SICHL is taking to

How are hearing loss and musicality connected? In a recent conversation, Brian Taylor spoke with Dr. Srishti Nayak, a researcher at the Vanderbilt Music Cognition Lab, to explore the relationship between hearing and musical abilities. Dr. Nayak discussed emerging research on how musical engagement may support hearing health and introduced the MAPLE framework, which suggests that musical skills, language abilities,