Hearing Loss News and Research

Latest Hearing Loss News and Research

Breakthrough in combating adverse side-effects associated with quinine

Discovered back in the 1600s quinine was the first effective treatment in the fight against malaria - and it continues to be a commonly used treatment against this devastating disease. But the drug is associated with a long list of side effects which can range from sickness and headaches to blindness, deafness and in rare cases death - and until now no one knew why.

29 Jun 2009

Migraines with aura in middle age associated with late-life brain lesions

Women who suffer from migraine headaches in middle age accompanied by neurological aura (visual disturbances, dizziness or numbness that can precede migraines) are more likely to have damage to brain tissue in the cerebellum later in life, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the Icelandic Heart Association in Reykjavik.

23 Jun 2009

A bionic broadband ear

MIT engineers have built a fast, ultra-broadband, low-power radio chip, modeled on the human inner ear, that could enable wireless devices capable of receiving cell phone, Internet, radio and television signals.

3 Jun 2009

Citalopram no more effective than a placebo for children with autism spectrum disorders

Citalopram, a medication commonly prescribed to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), was no more effective than a placebo at reducing repetitive behaviors, according to researchers funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and other NIH institutes. The study was published in the June 2009 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

1 Jun 2009

Discovery of faulty genes could reveal risk of Paget's disease

The discovery of faulty genes by Edinburgh researchers could help people with Paget's disease, a painful bone condition. Dr Omar Albagha has found three genes associated with the disease which, if detected early enough in people, could hasten diagnosis and treatment.

26 May 2009

Inner ear balance disorders common, linked to falls among American seniors

An estimated 35 percent of U.S. adults age 40 and older have vestibular dysfunction (inner ear balance disorders), and those who do may have a higher risk of falling, according to a report in the May 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

25 May 2009

Good advice for a healthy pregnancy

Women can increase their chances for a healthy pregnancy by eating right, exercising, not smoking, and getting early medical care, says a podcast featuring a National Institutes of Health obstetrician who oversees research on pregnancy and birth.

20 May 2009

Discovery of molecular defect involved in hearing loss

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have elucidated the action of a protein, harmonin, which is involved in the mechanics of hearing.

13 May 2009

Research shows speech recognition problems independent of hearing loss

Older adults may have difficulty understanding speech because of age-related changes in brain tissue, according to new research in the May 13 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

12 May 2009

Genes that influence brain cell connections linked to autism

In three studies, including the most comprehensive study of autism genetics to date, investigators funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have identified common and rare genetic factors that affect the risk of autism spectrum disorders.

30 Apr 2009

Major step forward in understanding progressive hearing loss

The respective microRNA seed region influences the production of sensory hair cells in the inner ear, both in the mouse and in humans.

27 Apr 2009

UK cases of bacterial meningitis in children at a record low

Cases of bacterial meningitis in children are at a record low thanks to NHS immunisation programmes, Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced.

26 Apr 2009

Discovery of ion channel turns ear on its head

Scientists thought they had a good model to explain how the inner ear translates vibrations in the air into sounds heard by the brain.

23 Apr 2009

URMC expert to give free talk on hearing loss

Ann Clock Eddins, Ph.D., director of Audiology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, will present a free talk from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, at the Hahnemann Club, 201 Stoutenberg Lane, located on the campus of The Highlands at Pittsford (off of Rt. 31, just east of the village of Pittsford).

21 Apr 2009

Missing molecules lead to deafness

Researchers have identified tiny molecules that may lead to big breakthroughs in the treatment of hearing loss and deafness.

16 Apr 2009

Deafness - cure a hair away?

Despite modern medicine, one in 1,000 American babies are born deaf.

14 Apr 2009

New genetic understanding of progressive hearing loss

In parallel studies in human and mouse, two groups of researchers have come to the same conclusion: that a new kind of gene is associated with progressive hearing loss.

12 Apr 2009

Antibiotics could treat cystic fibrosis, other genetic diseases

By modifying the properties of the common antibiotic gentamicin, researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed what could become an effective treatment for many human genetic diseases, including cystic fibrosis (CF), Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Usher Syndrome and numerous cancers.

8 Apr 2009

Childhood hearing loss more prevalent among Hispanic-American, low-income households

A new review of medical databases shows that neonatal hearing loss, already one of the most common birth disorders in the United States, is especially prevalent among Hispanic-Americans and those from low-income households, according to the April 2009 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

1 Apr 2009

Auditory regions of brain convert to sense of touch in hearing loss

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have discovered that adult animals with hearing loss actually re-route the sense of touch into the hearing parts of the brain.

24 Mar 2009