What research about NIHL is being conducted?
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) researches the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of hearing loss. Most hearing loss is caused by damaged hair cells, which do not grow back in humans and other mammals. NIDCD-supported researchers have helped to identify some of the many genes important for ear development and hearing; they have also been studying the possibility of using gene therapy to regrow hair cells in mammals.
NIDCD researchers also are investigating a potential way to prevent NIHL after noise exposure. Noise exposure triggers the formation of destructive molecules, called free radicals, which cause hair cell death. Researchers initially had thought that antioxidants幼hemicals that protect against cell damage from free radicals洋ight prevent NIHL only if the antioxidants were given before noise exposure. In a recent study, however, the
antioxidants in salicylate (aspirin) and Trolox (vitamin E) were given to guinea pigs as long as three days after noise exposure and still significantly reduced hearing loss. These results suggest that there is a window of opportunity in which it is possible to rescue hearing from noise trauma. NIDCD-funded researchers are now testing the ability of nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, to prevent NIHL in military personnel and college students.