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Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Mar 2017Practical relevance: Auditory function is a sense that is central to life for cats - being important in situational awareness of potential predators, pursuit of prey,... (Review)
Review
Practical relevance: Auditory function is a sense that is central to life for cats - being important in situational awareness of potential predators, pursuit of prey, and for communication with conspecifics, humans and other species. Deafness in cats is most frequently the result of a genetic disorder, strongly associated with white fur and blue eyes, but may also result from acquired causes such as advancing age, ototoxic drugs, infection, environmental noise and physical trauma. Deafness can be sensorineural, where there is loss of cochlear hair cells, or conductive, where sound is muffled on its way to the inner ear. Clinical challenges: Establishing whether a cat is deaf can be difficult as behavioral testing of hearing is subjective and does not reliably detect unilateral deafness. Brainstem auditory evoked response testing is an objective measure but is limited in its availability. Currently, sensorineural deafness is irreversible because no treatments are available to restore lost hair cells. Conductive hearing loss can usually be treated, although full hearing recovery following otitis media may take weeks as the body clears the middle ear of debris. Evidence base: The author draws on the published literature and his extensive research on clinical aspects and molecular genetics of deafness, principally in companion animals, to review types and forms of deafness in cats. He also discusses current diagnostic approaches and provides brief advice for managing cats with hearing loss.
Topics: Animals; Cat Diseases; Cats; Deafness; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; Hair Cells, Auditory
PubMed: 28245737
DOI: 10.1177/1098612X17695062 -
Otology & Neurotology : Official... Sep 2017: The rising incidence of dementia locally and worldwide has now reached a critical level. The associated costs associated with these individuals will ultimately be... (Review)
Review
: The rising incidence of dementia locally and worldwide has now reached a critical level. The associated costs associated with these individuals will ultimately be untenable to most societies. Furthermore there is a paucity of highly effective treatments. However, the recent discovery of the association of hearing loss and dementia may open many potential opportunities. Although we still are acquiring knowledge on the pathophysiology of this association, clinicians are hopeful that our current highly effective treatments of hearing loss may ultimately be shown to have a positive effect on those with dementia.
Topics: Costs and Cost Analysis; Deafness; Dementia; Hearing Loss; Humans; Incidence
PubMed: 28806332
DOI: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000001408 -
Human Genetics Apr 2022Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a major cause of functional disability in both the developed and developing world. While hearing aids and cochlear implants provide... (Review)
Review
Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a major cause of functional disability in both the developed and developing world. While hearing aids and cochlear implants provide significant benefit to many with SNHL, neither targets the cellular and molecular dysfunction that ultimately underlies SNHL. The successful development of more targeted approaches, such as growth factor, stem cell, and gene therapies, will require a yet deeper understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of human hearing and deafness. Unfortunately, the human inner ear cannot be biopsied without causing significant, irreversible damage to the hearing or balance organ. Thus, much of our current understanding of the cellular and molecular biology of human deafness, and of the human auditory system more broadly, has been inferred from observational and experimental studies in animal models, each of which has its own advantages and limitations. In 2013, researchers described a protocol for the generation of inner ear organoids from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), which could serve as scalable, high-fidelity alternatives to animal models. Here, we discuss the advantages and limitations of conventional models of the human auditory system, describe the generation and characteristics of PSC-derived inner ear organoids, and discuss several strategies and recent attempts to model hereditary deafness in vitro. Finally, we suggest and discuss several focus areas for the further, intensive characterization of inner ear organoids and discuss the translational applications of these novel models of the human inner ear.
Topics: Deafness; Ear, Inner; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural; Hearing Tests; Humans; Organoids
PubMed: 34342719
DOI: 10.1007/s00439-021-02325-9 -
American Annals of the Deaf 2017Deaf individuals typically are seen through the lens of the dominant hearing society's perception, i.e., that being deaf is an impairment. Today, a small but growing...
Deaf individuals typically are seen through the lens of the dominant hearing society's perception, i.e., that being deaf is an impairment. Today, a small but growing number of Deaf and hearing researchers are challenging this perception. The authors examined perceptions of what components are necessary for a successful Deaf/hearing research partnership, and propose that it is essential for Deaf and hearing researchers to embrace a Deaf epistemology. The authors found that a core category of equity is the key to effective teams. This equity is based in part on the mutual understanding that American Sign Language is the lingua franca of the team, as it provides full and easy access between Deaf and hearing team members. Additionally, a transformative paradigm, as a research frame, was found to be necessary to focus on leveling the playing field for Deaf researchers.
Topics: Adult; Cooperative Behavior; Deafness; Female; Hearing; Humans; Interdisciplinary Communication; Interpersonal Relations; Knowledge; Male; Middle Aged; Persons With Hearing Impairments; Research Design; Research Personnel; Sign Language
PubMed: 28238977
DOI: 10.1353/aad.2017.0007 -
Trends in Hearing 2021In children with congenital deafness, cochlear implantation (CI) prior to 12 months of age offers the opportunity to foster more typical auditory development during late... (Review)
Review
In children with congenital deafness, cochlear implantation (CI) prior to 12 months of age offers the opportunity to foster more typical auditory development during late infancy and early childhood. Recent studies have found a positive association between early implantation and expressive and receptive language outcomes, with some children able to achieve normal language skills by the time of school entry. Universal newborn hearing screening improved early detection and diagnosis of congenital hearing loss, allowing for earlier intervention, including decision-making regarding cochlear implant (CI) candidacy. It can be more challenging to confirm CI candidacy in infants; therefore, a multidisciplinary approach, including objective audiometric testing, is recommended to not only confirm the diagnosis but also to counsel families regarding expectations and long-term management. Surgeons performing CI surgery in young children should consider both the anesthetic risks of surgery in infancy and the ways in which mastoid anatomy may differ between infants and older children or adults. Multiple studies have found CI surgery in infants can be performed safely and effectively. This article reviews current evidence regarding indications for implantation in children younger than 12 months of age and discusses perioperative considerations and surgical technique.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Child, Preschool; Cochlear Implantation; Cochlear Implants; Deafness; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn
PubMed: 34281434
DOI: 10.1177/23312165211031751 -
Neural Plasticity 2016The effect of deafness on sensory abilities has been the topic of extensive investigation over the past decades. These investigations have mostly focused on visual... (Review)
Review
The effect of deafness on sensory abilities has been the topic of extensive investigation over the past decades. These investigations have mostly focused on visual capacities. We are only now starting to investigate how the deaf experience their own bodies and body-related abilities. Indeed, a growing corpus of research suggests that auditory input could play an important role in body-related processing. Deafness could therefore disturb such processes. It has also been suggested that many unexplained daily difficulties experienced by the deaf could be related to deficits in this underexplored field. In the present review, we propose an overview of the current state of knowledge on the effects of deafness on body-related processing.
Topics: Body Image; Deafness; Humans; Motor Activity; Neuronal Plasticity; Posture; Touch Perception
PubMed: 26881115
DOI: 10.1155/2016/5260671 -
American Annals of the Deaf 2016Concluding a two-part American Annals of the Deaf special issue on deafness and diversity (DAD), the editors provide reflections and guidance to the field regarding...
Concluding a two-part American Annals of the Deaf special issue on deafness and diversity (DAD), the editors provide reflections and guidance to the field regarding d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/Dhh) children with a disability (DWD; e.g., learning or intellectual disability, autism) and d/Dhh children from homes where parents use a language other than English or American Sign Language (d/Dhh Multilingual Learners; DMLs). Contributing authors addressed the application of theory, research, and practice to five topics: (a) early intervention, (b) communication/language, (c) assessment, (d) transition, (e) teacher preparation. An overview of the main recommendations of the contributors and editors is presented in an effort to advance research and pedagogy with these learners. In conclusion, the editors discuss the "Radical Middle" approach (Easterbrooks & Maiorana-Basas, 2015) to working with students who are DAD: providing learners with all options for academic, social, and emotional success.
Topics: Cultural Diversity; Curriculum; Deafness; Early Intervention, Educational; Education of Hearing Disabled; Education, Professional; Education, Special; Humans; Learning; Mainstreaming, Education; Multilingualism; Persons With Hearing Impairments; Sign Language; Teaching; Terminology as Topic
PubMed: 27156921
DOI: 10.1353/aad.2016.0016 -
American Annals of the Deaf 2018
Topics: Auditory Perception; Deafness; Disability Evaluation; Education of Hearing Disabled; Hearing Tests; Humans; Persons With Hearing Impairments; Prejudice; Public Opinion; Terminology as Topic
PubMed: 29478995
DOI: 10.1353/aad.2018.0000 -
JAMA Otolaryngology-- Head & Neck... Oct 2020
Review
Topics: Cochlear Implants; Deafness; Health Care Costs; Humans; Speech Perception
PubMed: 32852524
DOI: 10.1001/jamaoto.2020.2285 -
Hearing Research Jan 2017This review explores cross-modal cortical plasticity as a result of auditory deprivation in populations with hearing loss across the age spectrum, from development to... (Review)
Review
This review explores cross-modal cortical plasticity as a result of auditory deprivation in populations with hearing loss across the age spectrum, from development to adulthood. Cross-modal plasticity refers to the phenomenon when deprivation in one sensory modality (e.g. the auditory modality as in deafness or hearing loss) results in the recruitment of cortical resources of the deprived modality by intact sensory modalities (e.g. visual or somatosensory systems). We discuss recruitment of auditory cortical resources for visual and somatosensory processing in deafness and in lesser degrees of hearing loss. We describe developmental cross-modal re-organization in the context of congenital or pre-lingual deafness in childhood and in the context of adult-onset, age-related hearing loss, with a focus on how cross-modal plasticity relates to clinical outcomes. We provide both single-subject and group-level evidence of cross-modal re-organization by the visual and somatosensory systems in bilateral, congenital deafness, single-sided deafness, adults with early-stage, mild-moderate hearing loss, and individual adult and pediatric patients exhibit excellent and average speech perception with hearing aids and cochlear implants. We discuss a framework in which changes in cortical resource allocation secondary to hearing loss results in decreased intra-modal plasticity in auditory cortex, accompanied by increased cross-modal recruitment of auditory cortices by the other sensory systems, and simultaneous compensatory activation of frontal cortices. The frontal cortices, as we will discuss, play an important role in mediating cognitive compensation in hearing loss. Given the wide range of variability in behavioral performance following audiological intervention, changes in cortical plasticity may play a valuable role in the prediction of clinical outcomes following intervention. Further, the development of new technologies and rehabilitation strategies that incorporate brain-based biomarkers may help better serve hearing impaired populations across the lifespan.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aging; Animals; Auditory Cortex; Auditory Perception; Child; Child Development; Child, Preschool; Cochlear Implantation; Cochlear Implants; Cognition; Cues; Deafness; Hearing; Hearing Aids; Humans; Neuronal Plasticity; Presbycusis; Visual Perception; Young Adult
PubMed: 27613397
DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2016.08.012