- Noise-induced hearing loss is a common condition in the United States that can lead to permanent hearing loss.
- Despite being widespread, the mechanism that causes it is still not well understood.
- Scientists have now discovered a potential root cause at the cellular level — and how to prevent it.
If you enjoy live music, you’ve almost certainly experienced
Sometimes it’s gone by the next morning, sometimes it lingers longer. The condition can be transitory at first, but over time it can lead to more severe and even permanent hearing loss.
Despite being a common condition, millions of adults, up to
Little is known about the exact mechanisms that cause NIHL to happen. This, consequently, also makes the condition more difficult to prevent and treat.
To address the pervasive condition, scientists are investigating how NIHL occurs on the cellular level in the body. In research published this week in the journal PNAS, scientists appear to be another step closer to understanding and potentially preventing NIHL.
In the study, scientists found that loud noises affected parts of the ear on a molecular level, disrupting hearing function specifically having to do with the mineral zinc in the
Zinc plays an important role in the body, including supporting the immune system and chemical signaling in the brain.
Researchers reported that when mice were exposed to loud noises the rodents’ labile zinc levels spiked. Labile zinc is zinc that is “free” and has not bound to a protein. This dysregulation of zinc in turn led to damage and degeneration at the cellular level, manifesting as hearing loss.
The discovery also led the scientists to…
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