Feature Channels: Hearing

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Released: 6-Nov-2019 2:10 PM EST
The Medical Minute: Eustachian tube dilation offers safer relief from dysfunction
Penn State Health

Popping your ears by yawning or chewing gum can help alleviate pressure. But if that doesn’t help, a more permanent solution might be Eustachian tube dilation.

Released: 5-Nov-2019 5:05 PM EST
Can a drug that repairs DNA help prevent noise-induced hearing loss? Learn about the audiologist testing this novel treatment.
Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University professor O'neil Guthrie is testing a drug designed to help the body's natural ability to repair DNA to determine whether it can help repair cells damaged by noise and help prevent hearing loss.

Released: 24-Oct-2019 12:05 PM EDT
For better research results, let mice be mice
University at Buffalo

Animal models can serve as gateways for understanding many human communication disorders, but a new study from the University at Buffalo suggests that the established practice of socially isolating mice for such purposes might actually make them poor research models for humans, and a simple shift to a more realistic social environment could greatly improve the utility of the future studies.

   
Released: 16-Oct-2019 3:00 PM EDT
EPFL and researchers from Mass. Eye and Ear are developing next-generation hearing implants
Massachusetts Eye and Ear

Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School and a team of EPFL researchers have developed a conformable electrode implant that will allow people with a dysfunctional inner ear to hear again. This new technology would improve existing auditory brainstem implants, which have a number of shortcomings.

Released: 16-Oct-2019 2:05 PM EDT
Deaf Infants’ Gaze Behavior More Advanced Than That of Hearing Infants
University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin)

Deaf infants who have been exposed to American Sign Language are better at following an adult’s gaze than their hearing peers, supporting the idea that social-cognitive development is sensitive to different kinds of life experiences.

   
Released: 15-Oct-2019 3:05 PM EDT
Deaf infants more attuned to parent’s visual cues, study shows
University of Washington

A University of Washington-led study finds that Deaf infants exposed to American Sign Language are especially tuned to a parent's eye gaze, itself a social connection between parent and child that is linked to early learning.

   
Released: 14-Oct-2019 1:05 PM EDT
Study “Cures” Oldest Case of Deafness in Human Evolution
Binghamton University, State University of New York

An international team of researchers including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York, has published a new study examining a 430,000-year-old cranium of a human ancestor that was previously described as deaf, representing the oldest case of deafness in human prehistory.

Released: 10-Oct-2019 4:05 PM EDT
A bold restructuring of ASU’s College of Health Solutions results in growth and innovation across all measures
Arizona State University (ASU)

One year following a large-scale restructuring, Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions announces growth in enrollment, new faculty and research advancement.

Released: 8-Oct-2019 1:05 PM EDT
Need to Balance Guides Development of Limb-Body Coordination
NYU Langone Health

The need to feel balanced drives the development of coordination between body and limbs as zebrafish larvae learn to swim, a new study by NYU School of Medicine finds.

   
Released: 1-Oct-2019 2:05 PM EDT
Mild-to-moderate hearing loss in children leads to changes in how brain processes sound
University of Cambridge

Deafness in early childhood is known to lead to lasting changes in how sounds are processed in the brain, but new research published today in eLife shows that even mild-to-moderate levels of hearing loss in young children can lead to similar changes.

3-Sep-2019 1:05 PM EDT
Sound Deprivation in One Ear Leads to Speech Recognition Difficulties
Massachusetts Eye and Ear

Chronic conductive hearing loss, which can result from middle-ear infections, has been linked to speech recognition deficits, according to a new study led by scientists at Massachusetts Eye and Ear.

3-Sep-2019 2:05 PM EDT
Study links hearing aids to lower risk of dementia, depression & falls; only 1 in 8 older adults with hearing loss have one
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Older adults who get a hearing aid for a newly diagnosed hearing loss have a lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia, depression or anxiety for the first time over the next three years, and a lower risk of suffering fall-related injuries, than those who leave their hearing loss uncorrected, a new study finds.

Released: 26-Aug-2019 2:05 PM EDT
UAH Center for Cybersecurity and Education developing high school curriculum for students who are deaf
University of Alabama Huntsville

A nationwide, high school level cybersecurity curriculum for students who are deaf is being developed by the Center for Cybersecurity Research and Education (CCRE) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

Released: 14-Aug-2019 7:00 AM EDT
Nerve Stimulation + Repetitive Sounds Help Improve Hearing
American Physiological Society (APS)

Combining seizure-preventing electrical stimulation with repetitive musical tones improves processing of sounds in the brain, according to new research. The discovery may provide relief for chronic ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and aid communication skills in people with autism. The first-of-its-kind study, published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurophysiology (JNP), was chosen as an APSselect article for August.

Released: 5-Aug-2019 9:00 AM EDT
Researchers Find Proteins That Might Restore Damaged Sound-Detecting Cells in The Ear
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Using genetic tools in mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have identified a pair of proteins that precisely control when sound-detecting cells, known as hair cells, are born in the mammalian inner ear. The proteins, described in a report published June 12 in eLife, may hold a key to future therapies to restore hearing in people with irreversible deafness.

Released: 31-Jul-2019 9:00 AM EDT
Parents’ Mental Illness Increases Suicide Risk in Adults with Tinnitus, Hyperacusis
Florida Atlantic University

A study is the first to examine the relationship between parental mental illness like anxiety and depression in childhood and the risk of suicide and self-harm in adults who suffer from tinnitus, noise or ringing in the ears, and hyperacusis, extreme sensitivity to noise. Results show that among patients seeking help for these debilitating hearing disorders, poor mental health in their parents was associated with suicide and self-harm risk across the life span in addition to their own current depression level.

   
Released: 9-Jul-2019 7:05 PM EDT
A third of children up to age 3 exposed to Zika in-utero have neurological problems
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

New research suggests that 32% of children up to the age of 3 years who were exposed to the Zika virus during the mother’s pregnancy had below-average neurological development. Also, fewer than 4% of 216 children evaluated had microcephaly —a smaller-than-normal head that is one of the hallmarks of the mosquito-borne disease. The heads of two of those children grew to normal size over time, the researchers reported.

Released: 8-Jul-2019 4:05 PM EDT
Augustana University Professor’s Research Leads to Surprising Mating Decision in Butterfly Species
Augustana University, South Dakota

The males of one species of butterfly are more attracted to females that are active, not necessarily what they look like, according to a recent research conducted at Augustana University.The paper, “Behaviour before beauty: Signal weighting during mate selection in the butterfly Papilio polytes,” found that males of the species noticed the activity levels of potential female mates, not their markings.

2-Jul-2019 2:05 PM EDT
Saving Beethoven
Harvard Medical School

Scientists have used an optimized version of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system to prevent hearing loss in so-called Beethoven mice, which carry a genetic mutation that causes profound hearing loss in humans and mice alike The new gene-editing system successfully identified a single misspelled “letter” in the defective copy of a hearing gene and disabled the aberrant copy, sparing the healthy one DNA analyses and follow-up tests in treated animals showed no detectable off-target effects Results offer proof of principle for using the same gene-editing technique in more than 20 percent of dominantly inherited human genetic diseases

Released: 1-Jul-2019 10:05 AM EDT
Inside Pediatrics Podcast: What Expectant Moms Should Know About CMV
Children's of Alabama

Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, is the most common viral infection, and the leading non-genetic cause of hearing loss, that infants are born with in the United States.

Released: 1-Jul-2019 10:05 AM EDT
Professor investigates transparent face mask to help deaf and hard of hearing patients better communicate with healthcare providers
University of Arkansas at Little Rock

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock faculty member is hoping to make visits to healthcare professionals easier for patients and other health workers who are deaf or hard of hearing by researching a prototype transparent surgical face mask that allows those who are deaf or hard of hearing and non-native English speakers to read lips.

Released: 11-Jun-2019 11:50 AM EDT
Drug to Treat Malaria Could Mitigate Hereditary Hearing Loss
Case Western Reserve University

The ability to hear depends on proteins to reach the outer membrane of sensory cells in the inner ear. But in certain types of hereditary hearing loss, mutations in the protein prevent it from reaching these membranes.

10-May-2019 2:05 PM EDT
Restaurant Acoustics that Schmeckt
Acoustical Society of America (ASA)

Acoustics consultant Klaus Genuit says that new ISO guidelines for defining, measuring and evaluating soundscapes are a big step forward in guiding the creation of audibly fine restaurants. "A soup might be delicious or not, but you can't answer this by knowing the temperature of the soup. It is the same with restaurant soundscapes -- you need a lot more information than just noise level," he said. He will present an application of the new ISO restaurant soundscape standards at the 177th ASA Meeting, May 13-17.

Released: 15-May-2019 5:05 PM EDT
First smartphone app that can hear ear infections in children
University of Washington

Researchers at the UW have created a new smartphone app that can detect fluid behind the eardrum by simply using a piece of paper and the phone’s microphone and speaker.

   
10-May-2019 11:25 AM EDT
How Loud is Too Loud When It Comes to Sports Whistles?
Acoustical Society of America (ASA)

Referees and others using whistles on the job need a simple way to determine whether it’s harmful to their hearing, so researchers set out to put it to the test and to provide some clarity and damage risk criteria for impulse noise exposures. To do this, the group carefully measured and analyzed the acoustic signature of 13 brands of whistles identified as the “most commonly used” by 300 sports officials -- both indoors and outdoors. They will present their findings during the 177th ASA Meeting.

9-May-2019 9:25 AM EDT
Locating a Shooter from the First Shot via Cellphone
Acoustical Society of America (ASA)

Militaries have worked hard to develop technologies that simultaneously protect soldiers' hearing and aid in battlefield communication. However, these don’t help if a soldier takes it off to assess the location of incoming gunfire. A French researcher has developed a proof of concept that uses the microphones in a TCAPS system to capture a shooter’s acoustic information and transmit this to a soldier’s smartphone to display shooter location in real time. He will present his shooter location research at the 177th ASA Meeting, May 13-17.

Released: 6-May-2019 11:05 AM EDT
Hearing researcher Robert Fettiplace named a Passano Fellow; 2nd major scientific award
University of Wisconsin–Madison

The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Robert Fettiplace has been named a 2019 Passano Fellow for his research into the mechanics of hearing, his second prestigious international scientific prize in a year. Fettiplace, a professor of neuroscience at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health won the award for showing how cochlear hair cells sense the tiny mechanical vibrations that sound produces in the inner ear.

   
Released: 26-Apr-2019 3:30 PM EDT
Some Children Find It Harder to Understand What Strangers Are Saying
New York University

New research by New York University Steinhardt Associate Professor Susannah Levi finds that children with poorer language skills are at a disadvantage when given tasks or being spoken to by strangers because they cannot, as easily as their peers, understand speech from people they do not know.

   
Released: 22-Apr-2019 3:05 PM EDT
Brains of Blind People Adapt to Sharpen Sense of Hearing, Study Shows
University of Washington

Research from the University of Washington uses functional MRI to identify two differences in the brains of blind individuals -- differences that might be responsible for their abilities to make better use of auditory information.

   
Released: 10-Apr-2019 4:30 PM EDT
With NIH Funding, Audiologist Looking at What Causes Tinnitus and Whether Genes Play a Role
Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University professor Ishan Bhatt leads a team that is looking at possible causes of tinnitus and possibly open the door to more specific treatments.

Released: 3-Apr-2019 3:05 PM EDT
'The Richness of Human Experience'
Creighton University

A Creighton University researcher who lost his own hearing at age 14 months is working on ways to ensure it doesn't happen to others.

Released: 27-Mar-2019 2:05 PM EDT
People 'hear' flashes due to disinhibited flow of signals around the brain, suggests study
City University London

A synaesthesia-like effect in which people 'hear' silent flashes or movement, such as in popular 'noisy GIFs' and memes, could be due to a reduction of inhibition of signals that travel between visual and auditory areas of the brain, according to a new study led by researchers at City, University of London.

Released: 25-Mar-2019 9:00 AM EDT
Hearing Loss Before 50 May Mean Higher Risk of Drug and Alcohol Issues
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

People under age 50 with hearing loss misuse prescription opioids at twice the rate of their hearing peers, and are also more likely to misuse alcohol and other drugs, a new national study finds. Health care providers may need to take special care when treating pain and mental health conditions in deaf and hard-of-hearing young adults.

Released: 19-Mar-2019 10:05 AM EDT
University of Minnesota to lead $9.7 million NIH grant to improve hearing restoration
University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering

The University of Minnesota announced that it will lead a $9.7 million grant over the next five years from the National Institutes for Health (NIH) BRAIN Initiative to develop a new implantable device and surgical procedure with the goal of restoring more natural hearing to people who are deaf or severely hard-of-hearing.

Released: 19-Mar-2019 10:00 AM EDT
Restoring Hearing Loss
University of Utah

A team of worldwide researchers including engineers from the University of Utah have received a $9.7-million grant to design and develop a new implantable device and surgical procedure for the deaf that hopefully will cut through the noise and produce much more detailed sound than traditional hearing-loss treatments.

Released: 12-Mar-2019 9:05 AM EDT
New Contributor to Age-Related Hearing Loss Identified
University of Virginia Health System

Researchers have discovered a new potential contributor to age-related hearing loss, a finding that could eventually help doctors identify people at risk and better manage the condition.

26-Feb-2019 8:05 AM EST
When It Comes to Hearing Words, It’s a Division of Labor between Our Brain’s Two Hemispheres
New York University

Scientists have uncovered a new “division of labor” between our brain’s two hemispheres in how we comprehend the words and other sounds we hear—a finding that offers new insights into the processing of speech and points to ways to address auditory disorders.

Released: 28-Feb-2019 9:00 AM EST
An inner ear protein speaks volumes about how sound is converted to a brain signal
Biophysical Society

Researchers at Rockefeller University characterized a molecular spring attached to the membrane of inner ear cells that converts bending forces created by a sound wave to electrical signals that the brain can interpret.

Released: 12-Feb-2019 11:05 AM EST
With Age Comes Hearing Loss and a Greater Risk of Cognitive Decline
UC San Diego Health

In a new study, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that hearing impairment is associated with accelerated cognitive decline with age, though the impact of mild hearing loss may be lessened by higher education.

Released: 11-Feb-2019 12:05 PM EST
Ohio State First To Identify Hearing And Deaf Infants Process Information Differently
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Differences in cognitive development between hearing and deaf children start in infancy, according to new research by The Ohio State University College of Medicine published today in the journal PLOS ONE.

Released: 7-Feb-2019 1:05 PM EST
Who’s Listening? Mosquitos Can Hear Up to 10 Meters Away
Cornell University

Mosquitoes can hear over distances much greater than anyone suspected, according to researchers at Cornell and Binghamton University.

Released: 7-Feb-2019 11:05 AM EST
Mosquitoes can hear from longer distances than previously thought
Binghamton University, State University of New York

While most hearing experts would say an eardrum is required for long distance hearing, a new study from Binghamton University and Cornell University has found that Aedes aegypti mosquitos can use their antennae to detect sounds that are at least 10 meters away.

17-Jan-2019 11:00 AM EST
Energizing the Immune System to Eat Cancer
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania say they’ve identified how to fuel macrophages with the energy needed to attack and eat cancer cells.

Released: 18-Jan-2019 8:05 AM EST
The science of sway: Researchers examine how musicians communicate non-verbally during performance
McMaster University

A team of researchers from McMaster University has discovered a new technique to examine how musicians intuitively coordinate with one another during a performance, silently predicting how each will express the music.

Released: 16-Jan-2019 11:05 AM EST
Massachusetts Eye and Ear appoints Chief Medical Officer, Chief of Anesthesia
Massachusetts Eye and Ear

Following a nationwide search, Mass. Eye and Ear named Aalok Agarwala, MD, MBA, as Chief Medical Officer, and Kathrin Bourdeu, MD, PhD, as Chief of Anesthesia.

Released: 16-Jan-2019 11:05 AM EST
ASU professor finds correlation between cochlear implant users' vocal emotional recognition, quality of life
Arizona State University (ASU)

Better vocal emotional recognition correlates to a better quality of life. Cochlear implant users often confuse happiness with anger.

Released: 15-Jan-2019 9:00 AM EST
Ears from the 3D-printer
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Cellulose obtained from wood has amazing material properties. Empa researchers are now equipping the biodegradable material with additional functionalities to produce implants for cartilage diseases using 3D printing.

   
Released: 7-Jan-2019 4:00 PM EST
Older People Who Use Hearing Aids Still Report Hearing Challenges
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

A high proportion of older people with hearing aids, especially those with lower incomes, report having trouble hearing and difficulty accessing hearing care services, according to a study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Released: 2-Jan-2019 12:05 PM EST
To Head Off Late-Life Depression, Check Your Hearing
Columbia University Irving Medical Center

A new study found that age-related hearing loss increased the risk of depression symptoms.



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