reversing/curing hearing loss
 Quote by moe darklight, 27Jun2007
is science anywhere near being able to reverse hearing loss, like with stem cells or otherwise?
it just terrifies me to some day lose my hearing an no longer be able to enjoy music as I do now.
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Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Quote by holycow1, 19Jun2003
Does anyone know any more in-depth information on Sensorineural hearing loss .... is it 100% not curable or is there a chance that it can be?
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moe & holycow1, since you made these queries, recent research suggests certain types of hearing loss is reversible; specifically sensorineural (that has resulted in senescence of receptor hair cells in the cochlea).
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A group of researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear Harvard Medical School have shown that hair cells can be regenerated by a using a drug to provoke cells that live inside the ear to become new hair cells. This brings about partial hearing recovery in mice with previously damaged ears.
This discovery holds great promise for future use in possibly reversing deafness in humans.
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reference 1
medical news today
reference 2 Journal
Neuron 9 Jan 2013.
Notch inhibition induces cochlear hair cell regeneration and recovery of hearing after acoustic trauma.