Aug. 29,
2013 — Your mother was right when she warned you that loud music could damage
your hearing, but now scientists have discovered exactly what gets damaged and
how. In a research report published in the September 2013 issue of The FASEB
Journal, scientists describe exactly what type of damage noise does to the
inner ear, and provide insights into a compound that may prevent noise-related
damage.
"Noise-induced
hearing loss, with accompanying tinnitus and sound hypersensitivity is a common
condition which leads to communication problems and social isolation,"
said Xiaorui Shi, M.D., Ph.D., study author from the Department of
Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the Oregon Hearing Research Center at
Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon. "The goal of our
study is to understand the molecular mechanisms well enough to mitigate damage
from exposure to loud sound."
To make
this discovery, Shi and colleagues used three groups of 6 -- 8 week old mice,
which consisted of a control group, a group exposed to broadband noise at 120
decibels for three hours a day for two days, and a third group given
single-dose injections of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) prior to
noise exposure. PEDF is a protein found in vertebrates that is currently being
researched for the treatment of diseases like heart disease and cancer. The
cells that secrete PEDF in control animals showed a characteristic branched
morphology, with the cells arranging in a self-avoidance pattern which provided
good coverage of the capillary wall. The morphology of the same cells in the
animals exposed to wide-band noise, however, showed clear differences -- noise
exposure caused changes in melanocytes located in the inner ear.
"Hearing
loss over time robs people of their quality of life," said Gerald
Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "It's easy to say
that we should avoid loud noises, but in reality, this is not always possible.
Front-line soldiers or first responders do not have time to worry about the
long-term effects of loud noise when they are giving their all. If, however, a
drug could be developed to minimize the negative effects of loud noises, it
would benefit one and all."
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