Deafness Research Research Articles

Divergent Aging Characteristics in CBA/J and CBA/CaJ Mouse Cochleae

Two inbred mouse strains, CBA/J and CBA/CaJ, have been used nearly interchangeably as 'good hearing' standards for research in hearing and deafness. We recently reported, however, that these two strains diverge after 1year of age, such that CBA/CaJ mice show more rapid elevation of compound action potential (CAP) thresholds at high frequencies (Ohlemiller, Brain Res. 1277: 70-83, 2009). One contributor is progressive decline in endocochlear potential (EP) that appears only in CBA/CaJ. Here, we explore the cellular bases of threshold and EP disparities in old CBA/J and CBA/CaJ mice. Among the major findings, both strains exhibit a characteristic age (∼18months in CBA/J and 24months in CBA/CaJ) when females overtake males in sensitivity decline. Strain differences in progression of hearing loss are not due to greater hair cell loss in CBA/CaJ, but instead appear to reflect greater neuronal loss, plus more pronounced changes in the lateral wall, leading to EP decline. While both male and female CBA/CaJ show these pathologies, they are more pronounced in females. A novel feature that differed sharply by strain was moderate loss of outer sulcus cells (or 'root' cells) in spiral ligament of the upper basal turn in old CBA/CaJ mice, giving rise to deep indentations and void spaces in the ligament. We conclude that CBA/CaJ mice differ both quantitatively and qualitatively from CBA/J in age-related cochlear pathology, and model different types of presbycusis.

Participation of high school and undergraduate students who are deaf in research on American Sign Language animation

The Linguistic and Assistive Technologies Laboratory (the "LATLab") at Queens College of The City University of New York conducts research on computational linguistics and human computer interaction - with a focus on assistive technology and accessibility applications for people with disabilities. We are currently conducting a five-year study supported by a National Science Foundation CAREER Award (NSF Award #0746556). The goals of this research are to significantly improve the state of the art of animations of American Sign Language (ASL), which have important accessibility applications for people who are deaf. (Details of the scientific aims of this project are included below.) This article describes the educational outreach component of this project --- the participation of deaf high school students and undergraduate students in summer research experiences. Our goal in writing this article is to describe how the educational component of our project integrates with the scientific goals and to explain some of the details behind the summer research experiences we have organized. We hope that other SIGACCESS members who are interested in incorporating educational outreach efforts into their research may find this information useful when designing and proposing their own projects. There are several deaf students and researchers involved in our project. Each summer, two or three students from local deaf high schools or mainstream programs in the greater New York City area participate in three-month research experiences at the LATLab. In addition, we have also hosted a deaf undergraduate student (visiting from Gallaudet University) for a summer research experience, and a graduate-level deaf research assistant coordinates projects at the lab on an ongoing basis part-time throughout the academic year. We believe that the involvement of deaf ASL-signers in the research will help to train future researchers who have a community and cultural connection to the outcome of the work. Further, only users of ASL who have native level fluency are able to accomplish some of the aspects of the research: analyzing recordings of sign language we collect and conducting experimental sessions in which native ASL signers from the local community come to the lab to evaluate the ASL animations we produce. Our objective is to attract deaf students to careers in computer science by enabling deaf high school and undergraduate students to experience the research process. Students with disabilities pursue science careers at a lower than average rate (CEOSE, 2004), and our goal is to encourage the interest of these students in pursuing higher education and careers in the sciences, at a time when they may be making decisions about their future education. While these students have minimal programming or linguistics background, their ASL fluency can allow them to make meaningful contributions to the project. We want them to become aware of applications of computer science with direct relevance to the deaf community --- generating animations of American Sign Language to make information sources more accessible to deaf individuals who may have low literacy in written English.

Help with tinnitus.

Deafness Research UK has published a free information leaflet called Managing tinnitus. Tinnitus is a condition that causes ringing in the ears or head, but where the noise does not originate from an external source. The noise level can range from a light buzzing to a constant roar of sound and it can have a devastating effect on people's quality of life.

Views, Knowledge, and Beliefs about Genetics and Genetic Counseling among Deaf People

Genetic counseling is part of the social response to the science of genetics. It is intended to help twenty-first-century societies manage the consequences of our ability to observe and intervene in our genetic makeup. This article explores the views, knowledge, and beliefs of some Deaf and hard of hearing people about genetics and genetic counseling. Deaf adults are often interested in knowing why they are deaf and whether deafness can be passed on to their children. They may also be interested in knowing about other traits in their family (e.g., inherited cancer). These issues are routinely addressed within the health service of genetic counseling as offered by clinical geneticists and genetic counselors. However, in the United Kingdom, very few Deaf and hard of hearing adults either seek out a referral for genetic counseling or utilize this clinical service. There are many complex reasons for this, within this article we focus on what deaf people think genetic counseling is and how they feel about new discoveries in genetics. The data have been gathered via a structured questionnaire completed by 573 Deaf and hard of hearing people, with additional information gathered via the free-text comments provided in the questionnaires. A Deaf researcher also completed thirty interviews with Deaf participants in British Sign Language. The participants in the study sample were recruited from the readership of two magazines for Deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK. Our results show that 50 percent of the participants indicated they knew what genetic counseling was before they read the questionnaire, but 80 percent did not know how to get such counseling. We conclude that, in order for Deaf and hard of hearing people to make an informed choice about whether they wish to access genetic counseling services, they need to internalize accurate information about what services are available to them. This article shows that the benefits of genetic technologies are by no means unquestioned in our societies.

Measuring and predicting the quality of nonlinearly distorted music and speech as perceived by hearing-impaired people.

The goals of this study were to characterize and model the perception of nonlinearly distorted speech and music by hearing-impaired listeners. Hearing-impaired listeners were asked to rate the perceived quality of speech and music that had been subjected to various forms of nonlinear distortion, some of which are inherent to certain hearing aid designs including (1) hard and soft, symmetrical and asymmetrical clipping; (2) center clipping; (3) “full-range” distortion, produced by raising the absolute magnitude of the instantaneous amplitude of the signal to a power (8800;1), while preserving the signal of the amplitude; (4) automatic gain control (AGC); (5) output limiting. Stimuli were subjected to frequency-dependent amplification as prescribed by the “Cambridge formula” before presentation via Sennheiser HD580 earphones. The pattern of the rating was reasonably consistent across subjects with only two of ten subjects not making consistent ratings. The mean ratings were not lower with increasing amount of soft or center clipping or when the compression ratios of the AGC and output limiting were increased. The deleterious effects produced by these nonlinear distortions may have been offset by the beneficial effects of improving audibility and compensating for loudness recruitment. [Work supported by Deafness Research Foundation.]

Access all areas: identity issues and researcher responsibilities in workplace settings

This article examines the particular difficulties and challenges experienced by a practitioner-researcher while collecting signed language interpreting data within the specific institutional setting of the workplace. Given the complex relationships that exist between the minority Deaf community and that of the majority hearing community, as well as the tensions present between Deaf people and signed language interpreters, undertaking research in this area requires both sensitivity and an in-depth understanding of the power imbalances involved. Practitioner-researchers in this field are positioned between the Deaf and hearing communities, and have to maintain a finely tuned awareness of the issues raised by their insider/outsider status. Exploring issues of methodology, access, identity, and participant observation, this paper examines the process of collecting video data for the analysis of interpreted events. The paper draws on an ethnographic study of interpreted interaction within the workplace, and considers the complex relationship between the hearing researcher and the Deaf research participants, concluding with what I see as a fundamental requirement—collaboration with and information dissemination to all those involved in the research process.

The Postgraduate Deaf Experience

The Postgraduate Deaf Experience Guy McIlroy When I started studying toward a master’s degree in Deaf education, I had reached an important point in my identity development as a Deaf person. The process of self-discovery of a Deaf identity had begun by virtue of my self-acknowledgment of myself as a Deaf person, where previously I had naively attempted to pass as a hearing person in the hearing-dominated world. I had reached the point where my prior self-construction as a hearing [End Page 503] person was being challenged, and I wanted to take this transition further; I joined the Center for Deaf Studies and started on my master’s degree research. Being a Deaf researcher introduced a number of new and unique challenges and successes. The most significant issue was the introduction of myself as an auto-ethnographic participant in this research by virtue of being Deaf. Initially, and for a long period of the time I spent doing research, I maintained an objective distance from the study. However, I was struck by the intensely personal and intimate nature of the scrutiny of identity, as well as the acceptance in academic literature (particularly in anthropology) of the idea of the researcher as a research subject embedded in the study constituting both a valid and valuable source of data. This conceptual shift emerged with the self-acknowledgment of myself as an oral Deaf person whose identity was undergoing a radical transition. This identity shift provided me with a template as a researcher with an insider’s perspective for developing a greater understanding of a range of Deaf identities. But with this frame of reference as an insider came a deep sense of unease about the orthodox binary medical model/social model construction of Deaf identity. Increasingly, as my own journey into understanding Deaf identity took shape, I found that the current identity discourses did not match my own experiences and those of other Deaf persons in a postmodern worldview in which Deaf persons like myself did not fit into either of the conventional structures. I realized that I had moved away from the “Deaf and culturally hearing” sphere of influence, and although I both appreciated and became immersed in the Deaf community by adopting sign language as my preferred language, I came to the realization that sign language was not my first language. Thus, I could not fully embrace the Deaf identity. Consequently, I discovered that other Deaf persons and I occupy an alternative territory that had not been adequately explained or explored—hence the theorizing and auto-ethnographic exploration of bicultural Deaf identity (McIlroy, 2008). Once this barrier had been breached, I became more sensitized to the richness and diversity of the “voices” of Deaf persons. To me as a master’s candidate, finding my own voice became an important skill through letting go of the need as an oral Deaf person to fit into the hearing community by pretending or bluffing. This activity is an ongoing process of actively acknowledging to people around me that it is acceptable to say, “Please say that again, I missed it, I am Deaf,” rather than fooling people into believing that I understand what they say in order to fit in. This statement became a mantra of liberation for me at meetings and with administrative and support staff. Using an interpreter made even more visible the point that I had communication needs as a Deaf person. Fundamentally, my need to communicate and understand now takes precedence over the previous survival mode of placidly going along with the speaker by pretending, which was a denial of being Deaf. To graduate with distinction was an especially satisfying experience. This was an opportunity to look back at the (5 years) of change in myself as a Deaf person into an oral Deaf academic. Reference McIlroy, G. (2008). A narrative exploration of educational experiences on Deaf identity. Unpublished master’s dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Google Scholar Vocational and Occupational Training In addition to the need for academic training at a university level, the need for vocational and occupational training cannot be overlooked. The next contributor shares his experience in...

Deaf Studies by Any Other Name?

Welcome to Volume 15 and the 15th year of the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. Throughout this volume, the two of us will be co-editing a special section on Deaf Studies, to appear in each issue. A bit of history will be instructive. In 1985, the field of Deaf Studies was in its infancy. Studies of and by deaf people were about their languages, their behaviors, their community histories, and only occasionally about their cultures. In that year, the First International Deaf Researchers Workshop was held at Bristol University. It was limited to deaf participants only and attended by interested scholars and teachers from all over the world. One of the co-editors of the Deaf Studies section (Tom) spoke at this conference on distinguishing deaf people from Deaf people, a convention that had been used before, but not widely, and became known as ‘‘small d’’ and ‘‘big D.’’ The ways that ‘‘deaf ’’ interact with ‘‘Deaf ’’ turned out to be very complex, indeed, perhaps more than we imagined at the time. Discussion for the duration of the conference and for several years after reflected both our determination to understand how to think about categorization and segmentation of people who are deaf and the sometimes problematic ambiguity when we use the sign ‘‘DEAF.’’ So went Deaf Studies, an emerging field marked by ambiguity. Ten years later, in 1995, a group of investigators interested in sign language, the development of deaf children, cognition and learning among deaf individuals, and related areas came together and created the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. Finding a publisher was not as difficult as expected, but among the other early tasks was naming the new journal. Input was solicited from a broad audience and suggestions varied widely. It was clear that the word ‘‘deafness’’ was to be avoided, and some people were averse to using ‘‘deaf ’’ as an adjective. One (hearing) observer, for example, emphatically argued that terms like ‘‘deaf education’’ do not make sense, even if they are commonly used. Others argued against phrases like ‘‘deaf children’’ in favor of options like ‘‘children who are deaf and hard of hearing.’’ Attempts to resolve all the contradictory advice yielded either titles too long to fit on the spine of the journal or ones that failed to capture the diverse content that we hoped to publish. At one point, the name quest was taken to Gallaudet University, where a large number of researchers had gathered for a conference on education. Mutually exclusive suggestions continued to overwhelm the editorial group until it was suggested that one of them (the other co-editor of the Deaf Studies section,Marc) ask a prominent member of the Deaf community attending the conference for advice. The situation was explained to her and she responded ‘‘It doesn’t matter which name you choose. You are hearing, whatever you choose will be [seen by others as] wrong. If you were deaf, whatever you choose would be right.’’ Armed with that wisdom, the group sought out the broadest possible title and settled on the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. No conflicts of interest were reported. Correspondence should be sent to Marc Marschark, Center for Education Research Partnerships, National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology, 52 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 (e-mail: marc.marschark@ rit.edu).

The Social Network Map as an Instrument for Identifying Social Relations in Deaf Research and Practice

Social support has shown itself to be an important factor in many areas in regard to mental health development and conservation. Numerous empirical findings also document its significance in various areas of research into deafness. Questionnaires are only one means of gathering information when we are trying to gain access to the social networks of deaf and hard of hearing people, their families, and relatives. The social network map is an approach that provides qualitative access to insights into social relationships and has proven, in conjunction with a qualitative interview, to be a useful tool in allowing a more detailed description and in-depth understanding of the processes of both social support and stress. The special strength of the social network map lies in the combination of visualizing social relationships and reflecting them in an interpersonal dialogue. This article describes how to go about creating a network map and illustrates this with an example of a mother of a multi-handicapped, deaf child. It concludes with a discussion of the opportunities that the use of a social network map offers as well as its potential limitations.

Identification of differentially expressed genes in early inner ear development

To understand the etiology of congenital hearing loss, we must gain a comprehension understanding of the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying normal ear development. Our lab is identifying genes and their mechanisms of action that lead to inner ear initiation and development. Using Agilent microarrays, we compared the differential expression of the pre‐otic placodal domain with an adjacent rostral control tissue (a domain that is competent, but not specified, to form otic tissue). We identified 1,261 transcripts differentially expressed between the two tissues at a change of 2‐fold or greater: 463 were up regulated in the pre‐otic domain, and 798 were upregulated in the control tissue. We have validated the pre‐otic expression of several signaling molecules and transcription factors identified in this array using in situ hybridization. Furthermore, the expression patterns of this group of genes were explored in detail to determine how the timing of their expression relates to specific events of otic induction and development. In conclusion, a number of novel candidate genes for otic placode induction have been identified. Funded by the Deafness Research Foundation and the NIH.Grant Funding SourceDeafness Research Foundation and NIH

低音障害型感音難聴における温度刺激検査の検討

Acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss (ALHL) is generally has a relatively good prognosis. We have often found in long-term following-up, however, that ALHL relapses, recurs or develops into Meniere's disease. Diagnostic criteria of the Acute Altitude Deafness Research Group of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan, define ALHL as low-tone-disorder sensorineural hearing loss without vertigo in which cochlear symptoms -ear fullness, tinnitus, and deafness- develop suddenly. Over the last five years, we have treated 31 cases of ALHL, in about half of which neurotological examination showed potential peripheral vestibular dysfunction on testing positional nystagmus (a) with closed eyes and (b) in a dark room with open eyes, and by finding laterality in the peripheral labyrinth system on caloric test. These cases show high canal paresis -a maximum slow- phase eye velocity of caloric nystagmus exceeding 60%. These results, taken together, suggest that derangement extends to the peripheral labyrinth system in patients with ALHL.

Correspondence

Papers presented at the 116th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) (2008) suggest a link between otitis media, and obesity onset with age. While it may be considered that any direct link between the two conditions, to quote Professor Mark Haggard from the charity Deafness Research UK, ‘is not impossible but, to be frank, is extremely unlikely’, an indirect link is considered to be more of a possibility.

‘Hate English! Why? …’ Signs and English from Deaf Children's Perception. Results from a Preliminary Study of Deaf Children's Experiences of Sign Bilingual Education

To date, much information about Sign Bilingualism, gleaned from parents and/or teachers, has been written from a strong hearing viewpoint. As deaf children should be the main beneficiaries from a Sign Bilingual Education, this project was designed to enable the children to recall their experiences and share their multi-aspect views with other deaf children and the deaf researcher. The children had opportunities to express themselves freely in their first language, British Sign Language, using the deaf-centred prompting tools to inform/enlighten readers about their experiences of a Sign Bilingual journey. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Non-verbal IQ is correlated with visual field advantages for short duration coherent motion detection in deaf signers with varied ASL exposure and etiologies of deafness

Studies have reported a right visual field (RVF) advantage for coherent motion detection by deaf and hearing signers but not non-signers. Yet two studies [Bosworth R. G., & Dobkins, K. R. (2002). Visual field asymmetries for motion processing in deaf and hearing signers. Brain and Cognition, 49, 170–181; Samar, V. J., & Parasnis, I. (2005). Dorsal stream deficits suggest hidden dyslexia among deaf poor readers: Correlated evidence from reduced perceptual speed and elevated coherent motion detection thresholds. Brain and Cognition, 58, 300–311.] reported a small, non-significant RVF advantage for deaf signers when short duration motion stimuli were used (200–250 ms). Samar and Parasnis (2005) reported that this small RVF advantage became significant when non-verbal IQ was statistically controlled. This paper presents extended analyses of the correlation between non-verbal IQ and visual field asymmetries in the data set of Samar and Parasnis (2005). We speculate that this correlation might plausibly be driven by individual differences either in age of acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL) or in the degree of neurodevelopmental insult associated with various etiologies of deafness. Limited additional analyses are presented that indicate a need for further research on the cause of this apparent IQ–laterality relationship. Some potential implications of this relationship for lateralization studies of deaf signers are discussed. Controlling non-verbal IQ may improve the reliability of short duration coherent motion tasks to detect adaptive dorsal stream lateralization due to exposure to ASL in deaf research participants.

Ani İşitme Kaybı Olan Hastalarda Prognoz Üzerine Etkili Faktörlerin İncelenmesi

Ev aluation of Factors Effective on Prognosis in Patients with Sudden Hearing Loss Sudden sensorioneural hearing loss is one of the important illnesses that has to be managed immediately, however consensus about its treatment is not present. At its pathophysiology, causes like viral infection, vascular factors, labirinth membrane rupture and autoimmunity are thought to be responsible. Although macromolecules like steroids, vasodilatator drugs, plasma volume expanders and urografin are used at treatment, many new treatment modalities are tried. This study was performed in 37 patients with the diagnosis of sudden hearing loss admitted to Ondokuz Mayis University Faculty of Medicine Otorhinolaryngology Department between May 2003 and April 2006. Steroid (1 mg/kg oral), urografin (10 ml i.v. at first day, then 5 ml i.v.), reomakrodeks (500 ml i.v. infusion for 8 hours) and piracetam (2x6 g i.v. for 5 days) were given to all patients. Criteria determined by 'Sudden Deafness Research Team of the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare' were used in the evaluation of treatment results. When the treatment results were evaluated, it was seen that prognosis was bad in patients with total hearing loss and hearing loss involving low frequencies had a better prognosis. In the presence of tinnitus as a vestibulocochlear symptom, prognosis was better. Ani sensorinoral isitme kaybi acil mudahale edilmesi gereken, ancak henuz tani ve tedavisinde fikir birligine varilamamis, onemli hastaliklardan biridir. Patofizyolojide viral enfeksiyon, vaskuler patolojiler, labirent membran rupturu, otoimmunite gibi nedenler sorumlu tutulmaktadir. Tedavide steroidler, vazadilator ilaclar, plazma volum genisleticileri, urografin gibi makromolekuller kullanilmakla birlikte gun gectikce bircok yeni tedavi modaliteleri denenmektedir. Bu calisma Mayis 2003-Nisan 2006 tarihleri arasinda Ondokuz Mayis Universitesi Tip Fakultesi Kulak Burun Bogaz klinigine basvuran ve ani isitme kaybi tanisi ile tedavi edilen 37 hastada yapildi. Tum hastalara steroid (1 mg/kg, oral), urografin (ilk gun 10cc, dort gun 5 cc iv), reomakrodeks (500 cc/8 saat iv infuzyon) ve pirasetam (2x6 gr iv bes gun) verildi. Tedavi sonuclarinin degerlendirilmesinde 'Sudden Deafness Research Team of the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfar' tarafindan belirlenen kriterler kullanildi. Tedavi sonuclari degerlendirildiginde total isitme kayipli hastalarda prognozun kotu, alcak frekanslari tutan isitme kayipli hastalarda ve vestibulokoklear semptomlardan tinnitus varliginda prognozun daha iyi oldugu gorulmustur.

Vulnerable but strong: Deaf people challenge established understandings of deafness

In the last 35 years, hearing majorities have, in variable degree, gradually recognized that deaf people can be strong and able and a common knowledge of deaf people as linguistic minorities is partly embraced in public life. This is by and large a result of a long-time deaf struggle for the recognition of sign language and against paternalistic policies of pity. This article aims at showing how contemporary deaf identities are crafted by balancing vulnerability and empowering forces. In the presentation of life narratives from one deaf Norwegian and one deaf American, different aspects of being deaf are explored. These two stories have emerged from two related deaf research projects. They are deliberately chosen because they illustrate central insights gained within this research. The empowering aspects of being sign language users are in focus, as well as the joys of being connected to a global deaf movement. Difficulties and hardship are also part and parcel of the deaf lives displayed, and strong arguments are put forward against the medical model of deafness in particular. One conclusion is that deaf identities are vulnerable but at the same time can be strongly rewarding.

Genetics and Hearing Loss

Of mice and men (and myosins) the myosin - molecular motor is necessary for hearing in humans and mice - a review of DFNB3 and shaker mouse models and progress in human deafness research physical maps as molecular tools to identify disease genes gene therapy for the treatment of hearing disorders transmitters in the chochlea - ATP as a neuromodulator in the organ of corti adaption to deafness in a Balinese community.

Epidemiological study of mumps deafness in Japan

In Japan, mumps vaccination is optional and the mumps were increased accompanied with prevalent waves according to the Infections Agents Surveillance Report (IASR). The aim of this study was to clarify that there was relevance for increase of mumps epidemic and mumps deafness. The Acute Profound Deafness Research Committee of the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare (reorganized to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 2001) conducted a nationwide epidemiological survey to determine the number of patients treated for mumps deafness in 1987, 1993 and 2001. Based on its findings, the annual numbers of mumps deafness cases was estimated to be 300 in 1987, 400 in 1993 and 650 in 2001, which correlated with the overall incidence of mumps in those years. Because the majority of cases exhibited severe or profound sensorineural hearing loss that usually did not recover, rapid improvement of mumps vaccine coverage is strongly recommended.

Bilingual Deaf Education in the South of Brazil

This paper presents an analysis of Bilingual Deaf Education in Brazil, with particular reference to the South of the country. This subject is presented in context, and takes into account research carried out over the last 5–7 years. We consider the spread of bilingual = bicultural models, changes in the representation of Deaf people and Deafness and finally, the epistemological inversion of Deaf and Hearing 'problems' as present in the discussion related to Deaf Education in Brazil. The analyses of the experience in Brazil are not simple. In fact, the complexity is related to the different possible readings that 'Bilingual Deaf Education' can have, such as for instance, methodological, linguistic and psycholinguistic interpretations, all of which are considered in the present paper. In addition, we describe certain bilingual experiences that we have been engaged in, together with other Deaf researchers and Deaf teachers over the last decade.

Autoimmune-mediated inner ear inflammation in mice immunized with coch-5B2

Problem: We have shown that SWXJ mice develop hearing loss when immunized with the p131–150 peptide of Coch-5B2 or following transfer of activated T cells specific for the Coch 131–150 peptide. Further studies to establish associated histopathology in the cochleas of these mice were pursued in this paper. Methods: Mice were immunized with Coch 131–150 in complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) and euthanized 2–5 weeks later. Inner ear tissues were immunostained for detection of inflammatory cells. ABR testing to determine hearing thresholds was performed on Coch 131–150 primed mice and on age- and sex-matched control mice immunized with CFA only. Results: Inner ear inflammation was observed 5 weeks after active immunization with Coch 131–150, but not at 2, 3, or 4 weeks. Increased ABR thresholds were accompanied by substantial CD45+ immunostaining in the lower spiral ligament primarily in the high frequency region of the cochlea. Control animals showed no increase in ABR thresholds and no inner ear inflammation. Conclusion: Induction of experimental autoimmune hearing loss in mice by immunization with Coch 131–150 results in appearance of leukocytes in the inner ear. The current data support our previously reported findings that Coch-5B2 targets T cell-mediated hearing loss in SWXJ mice. Significance: Our study shows that T cells targeted against inner ear-specific antigens may mediate inner ear inflammation and hearing loss in the mouse similar to that observed in human autoimmune sensorineural hearing loss (ASNHL). Thus, our study supports a critical role of autoreactive T cells in ASNHL and provides a contemporary mouse model for evaluating new treatment strategies. Support: Grants from the Deafness Research Foundation, the Samuel Rosenthal Foundation, the Triple T Foundation, the Milton and Charlotte Kramer Foundation, and NIH NS-36054.