ScienceDaily: Hearing Loss News
Read the latest medical research on hearing, hearing loss and related stem cell research. Genetic hearing loss could be reversed by compensating for a missing protein. Full text free.
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Well-being is related to having less small talk and more substantive conversations
Mar 5, 2010 8:00am
Is a happy life filled with trivial chatter or reflective and profound conversations? In a new study, the happiest participants had twice as many substantive conversations and one third as much small talk as the unhappiest participants. In addition, the happiest participants spent 25 percent less time alone and 70...
Word learning better in deaf children who receive cochlear implants by age 13 months
Mar 1, 2010 8:00am
Researcher report that deaf children's word-learning skill is strongly affected by early auditory experience, whether that experience was through normal means or with a cochlear implant. Children who received an implant by age 13 months performed similarly to normal-hearing counterparts while children who received a cochlear implant later performed, on...
Scientists image brain at point when vocal learning begins
Feb 19, 2010 2:00am
Scientists have imaged living juvenile songbird brains at the moment the brains heard a tutor's mating song. Instead of staying plastic and dynamic after hearing the song, the bird's neurons snapped into a framework nearly immediately, surprising the researchers. Some birds were unable to learn or learn it well, indicating...
Built-in amps: How subtle head motions, quiet sounds are reported to the brain
Feb 14, 2010 11:00pm
Subtle head motions are amplified by inner-ear hair cells before the signal is reported to the brain, report scientists. In both the auditory and the vestibular systems, hair cell response is nonlinear: the lower the strength of the stimulus, the more the hair cell amplifies the signal....
In bats and whales, convergence in echolocation ability runs deep
Jan 26, 2010 11:00pm
Only some bats and toothed whales rely on sophisticated echolocation, in which they emit sonar pulses and process returning echoes, to detect and track down small prey. Now, two new studies show that bats' and whales' remarkable ability and the high-frequency hearing it depends on are shared at a much...
Going to the gym shouldn't be a workout for your eardrums
Jan 21, 2010 5:00am
Listening to an iPod while working out feels like second nature to many people, but one researcher says we need to consider the volume levels in our earphones while working up a sweat....
Complications common, often linked to trauma in children receiving cochlear implants
Jan 19, 2010 11:00am
Some complications may occur in children receiving cochlear implants, and are highly correlated with trauma to the ear area and inner ear malformation, according to a new report....
Study casts doubt on caffeine link to tinnitus
Jan 12, 2010 5:00pm
New research has found giving up caffeine does not relieve tinnitus and acute caffeine withdrawal might add to the problem. This is the first study of its kind to look at the effect of caffeine consumption on tinnitus....
Music therapy can assist toddlers' communication rehabilitation process
Jan 7, 2010 2:00am
Music therapy can assist in the speech acquisition process in toddlers who have undergone cochlear implantation, as revealed in a new study....
Tactile input affects what we hear
Jan 5, 2010 2:00pm
Humans use their whole bodies, not just their ears, to understand speech, according to new linguistics research. It is well known that humans naturally process facial expression along with what is being heard to fully understand what is being communicated. This study is the first to show we also naturally...
Scientists decode memory-forming brain cell conversations
Dec 16, 2009 5:00am
The conversations neurons have as they form and recall memories have been decoded by scientists. The breakthrough in recognizing in real time the formation and recollection of a memory opens the door to objective, thorough memory studies and eventually better therapies, say the researchers....
Master gene Math1 controls framework for perceiving external and internal body parts
Dec 15, 2009 5:00pm
Math1 is a master hub for the genes that control various parts of neural networks for hearing, balance, the unconscious sense of one's position in space called proprioception and in a new finding, interoception, which is associated with activities such as awakening because of a full bladder or a distended...
Auditory illusion: How our brains can fill in the gaps to create continuous sound
Nov 27, 2009 8:00am
It is relatively common for listeners to "hear" sounds that are not really there. In fact, it is the brain's ability to reconstruct fragmented sounds that allows us to successfully carry on a conversation in a noisy room....
Active hearing process in mosquitoes
Nov 21, 2009 2:00am
A mathematical model has explained some of the remarkable features of mosquito hearing. In particular, the male can hear the faintest beats of the female's wings and yet is not deafened by loud noises....
New Brain Findings On Dyslexic Children: Good Readers Learn From Repeating Auditory Signals, Poor Readers Do Not
Nov 12, 2009 5:00am
The vast majority of school-aged children can focus on the voice of a teacher amid the cacophony of the typical classroom thanks to a brain that automatically focuses on relevant, predictable and repeating auditory information, according to new research. But for children with developmental dyslexia, the teacher's voice may get...
Scientists Create 'Golden Ear' Mouse With Great Hearing As It Ages
Nov 9, 2009 2:00pm
What do you get when you cross a mouse with poor hearing and a mouse with even worse hearing? Ironically, a new strain of mice with "golden ears" -- mice that have outstanding hearing as they age. The new mouse hears much like people with "golden ears" -- people who...
More Action Is Needed To Support Millions Of Tinnitus Sufferers Worldwide, Review Finds
Nov 4, 2009 5:00pm
One in seven people worldwide will suffer from tinnitus (ringing in the ears) at some point. It is the most common injury arising from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and 75 pecent of 18 to 30 year-olds who go to nightclubs and concerts may experience temporary tinnitus. A research...
Scientists Show How Tiny Cells Deliver Big Sound In Cochlea
Oct 23, 2009 2:00am
Researchers say they have, for what is believed to be the first time, managed to measure and record the elusive electrical activity of the type II neurons in the snail-shell-like structure called the cochlea. And it turns out the cells do indeed carry signals from the ear to the brain,...
Cochlear Implants Reduce Delay Suffered By Deaf Children In Language Acquisition, Study Shows
Oct 19, 2009 5:00am
Researchers in Spain have observed in this first year of the study that, three months after receiving a cochlear implant all the children showed improvement in their perception and ability to detect sounds around them. Children quickly learn that the implant is a device that allows them to hear and...
Genetic Mutation A Strong Indicator Of Age-related Hearing Loss Risk
Oct 7, 2009 5:00pm
Patients who exhibited a certain genetic mutation of anti-oxidant enzymes are three times more likely to develop age-related hearing loss, according to new research....
Drivers Of Convertibles May Be At Risk For Noise-induced Hearing Loss
Oct 7, 2009 2:00am
Drivers who frequently take to the road with the top down may be risking serious damage to their hearing, according to new research....
Men Nearly Three Times As Likely To Develop Noise-induced Hearing Loss
Oct 5, 2009 11:00pm
A comprehensive study of the prevalence and risk factors for noise-induced hearing loss show that men, especially those who are white and married, are significantly more at risk than women, according to new research....
Non-invasive Imaging Technique Can Help Diagnose Tinnitus
Oct 5, 2009 8:00am
A new study finds that a non-invasive imaging technique can aid in the diagnosis of tinnitus and may detect a reduction in symptoms after different treatments, offering hope to the more than 50 million patients with tinnitus....
Stimulating Sight: Retinal Implant Could Help Restore Useful Level Of Vision To Certain Groups Of Blind People
Sep 24, 2009 11:00am
MIT engineers have designed a retinal implant for people who have lost their vision from retinitis pigmentosa or age-related macular degeneration, two of the leading causes of blindness. The retinal prosthesis would help restore some vision by electrically stimulating the nerve cells that normally carry visual input from the retina...
Kids With Small Head Size At Risk Of Neurologic Problems, Screening Needed
Sep 17, 2009 2:00am
A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology finds that children with microcephaly -- that is, children whose head size is smaller than that of 97 percent of children -- are at risk of neurologic and cognitive problems and should be screened for these problems....
Genetic Cause For Type Of Deafness Identified; Discovery Could Lead To New Therapies For Progressive Hearing Loss
Sep 4, 2009 11:00am
Scientists have discovered a genetic cause of progressive hearing loss. The findings will help scientists better understand the nature of age-related decline in hearing, and may lead to new therapies to prevent or treat the condition....
Gene Associated With Language, Speech And Reading Disorders Identified
Aug 28, 2009 11:00am
A new candidate gene for Specific Language Impairment has been identified. The results point toward the likelihood of multiple genes contributing to language impairment, some of which also contribute to reading or speech impairment....
Taking Up Music So You Can Hear
Aug 27, 2009 8:00am
Anyone with an MP3 device has a notion of the majesty of music, of the primal place it holds in the human imagination. But musical training should not be seen simply as stuff of the soul -- a frill that has to go when school budgets dry up, according to...
Perceptual Rivalry: Nostrils Alternate To Process Competing Odors
Aug 24, 2009 5:00pm
When the nose encounters two different scents simultaneously, the brain processes them separately through each nostril in an alternating fashion. This finding is the first demonstration of "perceptual rivalry" in the olfactory system....
Neural Pathway Missing In Tone-deaf People
Aug 19, 2009 5:00am
Nerve fibers that link perception and motor regions of the brain are disconnected in tone-deaf people, according to new research. Experts estimate that at least 10 percent of the population may be tone deaf -- unable to sing in tune. The new finding identifies a particular brain circuit that appears...
Longer Lives Can Still Lead To Happier Golden Years, Psychologists Say
Aug 10, 2009 8:00am
As more people live well into their 80s and 90s, it's reassuring to know that most people get happier as they age and exert more emotional control than younger adults, according to researchers....
Hearing Aids: New Software Makes It Easier To Hear The Words Beneath The Noise
Aug 6, 2009 5:00pm
Scientists have developed a new software application to improve the noise-filtering abilities of hearing aids and cochlear implants. Hearing aids and cochlear implants act as tiny amplifiers so the deaf and hard-of-hearing can make sense of voices and music. Unfortunately, these devices also amplify background sound, so they're less effective...
How Noise And Nervous System Get In Way Of Reading Skills
Jul 14, 2009 5:00pm
A child's brain has to work overtime in a noisy classroom to do its typical but very important job of distinguishing sounds whose subtle differences are key to success with language and reading. But, according to a new study, that simply is too much to ask of children whose nervous...
Hearing Manipulated By Electronics
Jul 10, 2009 11:00am
An implanted electronic ion pump in organic material can be used to carry signals to specific cells in the nervous system and in this way treat various illnesses. In a unique study, researchers have used the pumps to successfully manipulate the hearing in laboratory animals. The technique represents a breakthrough...
Better Than A Hearing Aid? Better Hearing With Bone Conducted Sound
Jul 9, 2009 11:00am
New technology to hear vibrations through the skull bone has been developed. Besides investigating the function of a new implantable bone conduction hearing aid, researchers have studied the sensitivity for bone conducted sound and also examined the possibilities for a two-way communication system that is utilizing bone conduction in noisy...
Need Something? Talk To My Right Ear
Jun 23, 2009 8:00pm
New research demonstrates humans' right ear preference for listening. We humans prefer to be addressed in our right ear and are more likely to perform a task when we receive the request in our right ear rather than our left. Scientists have shown that a natural side bias, depending on...
Got Ear Plugs? You May Want To Sport Them On The Subway And Other Mass Transit, Researchers Say
Jun 20, 2009 2:00pm
Recent public health studies on the US mass transit system have identified several sources of environmental hazards associated with mass transit, including excessive noise. Scientists have found that MTA subways had the highest average noise levels of all mass transit in New York City, with levels high enough to potentially...
Hearing, Voice Problems Worsen Seniors' Communication Skills
Jun 1, 2009 2:00pm
Hearing and vocal problems go hand-in-hand among the elderly more frequently than previously thought, according to researchers. Together, they pack a devastating double punch on communication skills and overall well-being....
Age-related Difficulty Recognizing Words Predicted By Brain Differences
May 14, 2009 5:00am
Older adults may have difficulty understanding speech because of age-related changes in brain tissue, according to new research. The study shows that older adults with the most difficulty understanding spoken words had less brain tissue in a region important for speech recognition. The findings may help explain why hearing aids...
Estrogen Controls How The Brain Processes Sound
May 6, 2009 8:00am
Scientists have discovered that the hormone estrogen plays a pivotal role in how the brain processes sounds....
Program Improves Language Skills In Deaf, Hard Of Hearing
May 5, 2009 8:00pm
Children enrolled before they are six months old in a home-based program that teaches language skills to the deaf or hard of hearing are not only able to achieve appropriate language skills but also to maintain them over time, according to a new study....
How Human Ear Translates Vibrations Into Sounds: Discovery Of Ion Channel Turns Ear On Its Head
Apr 27, 2009 11:00pm
Scientists thought they had a good model to explain how the inner ear translates vibrations in the air into sounds heard by the brain. Now, based on new research, it looks like parts of the model are wrong....
Well-timed Timeout Effective In Wiping Out Fear Memory Response
Apr 4, 2009 8:00pm
Banishing a fear-inducing memory might be a matter of the right timing, according to new research. Scientists have targeted a key time when memories are ripe for change to substantially modify memories of fear into benign memories and to keep them that way....
Vertigo Linked To Osteoporosis
Mar 29, 2009 8:00pm
People who have osteoporosis are more likely to also have vertigo, according to a new study. Vertigo is an inner ear disorder that is a common cause of dizziness....
Touch Helps Make The Connection Between Sight And Hearing
Mar 25, 2009 5:00pm
The sense of touch allows us to make a better connection between sight and hearing and therefore helps adults to learn to read. These results should improve learning methods, both for children learning to read and adults learning foreign languages....
Auditory Regions Of Brain Convert To Sense Of Touch, Hearing Loss Study Finds
Mar 25, 2009 2:00pm
Researchers have discovered that adult animals with hearing loss actually re-route the sense of touch into the hearing parts of the brain....
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