Research focus on hearing loss
From L to R: PhD student Thomas Tagoe, Dr Martine Hamann and Senior Technician Matt Barker
New research led by the University of Leicester has examined the cellular mechanisms that underlie hearing loss and tinnitus triggered by exposure to loud sound.
It has demonstrated that physical changes in myelin itself -the coating of the auditory nerve carrying sound signals to the brain – affect our ability to hear.
The research, funded by Action on Hearing Loss, was done in collaboration with the University of Nottingham. The research, 'Computational modelling of the effects of auditory nerve dysmyelination', is published in Frontiers in Neuroanatomy.
The next step is to test drugs that could promote myelin repair and improve hearing after hearing loss.
