Inner ear transplantation of cochlear progenitor cells restores acute sensorineural hearing loss.

Hearing loss and aging-related health outcomes-A natural population cohort study.

Machine learning-based risk classification of depressive symptoms among patients with hearing loss: evidence from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS).

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is found worldwide and significantly contributes to permanent childhood hearing loss. CMV has been known to cause sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) for more than half a century, and CMV-related hearing loss has consistently been present in all childhood populations where infants with cCMV have been identified and followed in the first years of life. CMV-related hearing loss has a variable onset, with some cases of hearing loss occurring at birth and others developing within the first 5years of life. Further deterioration of hearing loss may occur in children with CMV-related hearing loss. In contrast, other children experience improvements or fluctuating hearing loss. SNHL due to CMV is likely to involve both direct viral-mediated damage that occurs when the virus infects cells within the cochlea and immune or inflammatory responses in the inner ear. The studies in animal models and human temporal bones support that virus infection and host inflammatory responses may lead to both virus-mediated and virus and host-derived damage to the auditory system. As more children are being tested for CMV by newborn screening, SNHL is being identified more often. Current recommendations are for valganciclovir treatment in children with cCMV infection and SNHL; however, research gaps exist regarding the long-term effectiveness of valganciclovir. Without a licenced CMV vaccine, CMV behavioural preventative measures that minimise maternal saliva and urine exposures from young children is the only primary intervention available to reduce CMV infections and, therefore, CMV-related SNHL. Lack of CMV awareness and knowledge of the CMV disease burden in the population limits this approach, and more CMV education is needed. Data gaps exist in estimating the public health burden and lifetime economic burden of CMV. Without this data, it is not possible to accurately evaluate the cost-effectiveness of any CMV intervention or prevention strategy. Even after decades of attempting to identify which children with cCMV will have SNHL, further progression of loss, or late-onset loss, the need remains to identify the children with cCMV at increased risk of SNHL to provide timely detection and intervention for possible hearing loss.

More than one-fifth of the US population has hearing loss, a condition associated with higher risk of falls, depression, isolation, cognitive decline, dementia, and all-cause mortality. Treatment of hearing loss has been shown to correlate with decreased risk of cognitive decline, dementia, and mortality, as well as an improved quality of life. Surprisingly, however, fewer than 1 in 10 Americans with hearing loss use hearing aids. As the prevalence and burden of hearing loss grow, clinicians must understand factors influencing hearing aid use to increase treatment rates. This article reviews key barriers to hearing aid adoption-including low hearing health knowledge, inadequate screening, stigma, cost, and difficulty of use-and discusses recent changes that may influence these barriers.

Influence of personality, cognition, and hearing loss on the association of real-world listening conditions with self-reported listening effort and heart rate.

Post-acute sequelae are symptoms that persist or arise after the acute phase of an infection, but their frequency following outbreaks remains poorly understood. Recurrent Lassa fever outbreaks pose a significant public health threat in West Africa and may have long-term health effects. This study systematically reviewed the prevalence, incidence, duration, and characteristics of post-acute sequelae in survivors of Lassa virus infection. We searched PubMed and Web of Science up to November 17, 2025. Two reviewers screened and extracted data independently. We included six articles in the review. The most frequently reported post-acute sequela was hearing loss, with a pooled prevalence of 18% (95% CI 9-32) across 6 studies. Odds ratios for the association between Lassa fever and hearing loss were heterogeneous, with a statistically significant positive association in 2 of 5 studies and a positive effect direction in 2 further studies. Of an additional 37 potential post-acute sequelae, several with high prevalence also related to the audiovestibular system (e.g., tinnitus, balance disorder, and vertigo). Our findings highlight that Lassa fever survivors can experience diverse symptoms after recovery from acute infection, with hearing loss being the best-characterised. However, data gaps remain on its incidence after mild infections and its duration. A better understanding of post-acute sequelae after Lassa fever is necessary for accurate disease burden estimation and mathematical modelling studies.

Sensorineural hearing loss is increasingly recognized in Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC), but the underlying cochlear lesion remains undefined. While prior work emphasized hair-cell (HC) involvement, whether auditory dysfunction instead arises from lateral-wall failure and endocochlear potential (EP) decline is unknown. Npc1-/- mice and littermate controls underwent auditory function test and electrophysiological recordings at postnatal day (P) 35 and P63. Cochlear cytoarchitecture was evaluated using immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To probe cell-type susceptibility, NPC1 was inhibited in Spiral ligament (SLi)-like fibrocytes, HC-like HEI-OC1 cells in vitro. Npc1-/- mice showed elevated low-frequency auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds at P35, progressing to pan-frequency impairment and prolonged ABR wave IV-V latencies by P63. HCs, stereocilia bundles, and spiral ganglion cells were preserved. In contrast, EP was markedly reduced. Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase α1 and connexin-26 immunolabeling in the SLi decreased significantly without strial thinning, indicating impaired ion recycling and gap-junction coupling. Filipin staining and TEM revealed progressive free-cholesterol accumulation and vacuolar inclusions in SLi fibrocytes and supporting cells, with secondary involvement of HC regions. In vitro, NPC1 inhibition increased cholesterol in SLi-like fibrocytes but not in HEI-OC1 cells. NPC-related hearing loss arises primarily from SLi dysfunction and EP failure, with secondary HC compromise, rather than degeneration. These findings reposition NPC hearing loss as a disorder of cochlear homeostasis and identify EP preservation and correction of cholesterol trafficking as rational therapeutic targets. Early auditory monitoring may improve clinical outcomes.

Hearing loss significantly impacts auditory function and quality of life in children. Assessing Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) using utility measures provides valuable insight into the effectiveness of interventions such as Cochlear Implants (CI) and Hearing Aids (HA). To compare HRQoL using multiple utility measures (HUI-3, EQ-5D-5 L, VAS) and functional auditory performance (PEACH, TEACH) in children with cochlear implants, hearing aids, and unaided severe to profound hearing loss. Ninety children aged 7-10 years were divided into three groups (n = 30 each): CI users, HA users, and children with unaided severe to profound hearing loss. Utility measures and auditory performance scales were administered. Statistical analysis involved ANOVA and Pearson's correlation. CI users exhibited the highest utility scores (HUI-3 = 0.68964; EQ-5D = 0.88446) and auditory performance scores (PEACH = 37; TEACH = 25.83). Strong correlations were found between utility scores and auditory performance. HUI-3 showed greater sensitivity in detecting hearing-specific QOL improvements. Cochlear implantation results in superior HRQoL and auditory performance compared to hearing aids. Use of sensitive, hearing-specific tools like HUI-3 is recommended. LEVEL 3: Non-randomized controlled cohort/follow-up study.

Tinnitus is a highly prevalent and challenging neurotologic condition affecting over 740 million individuals worldwide. Despite the growing number of studies, treatment approaches remain fragmented and inconsistent. This umbrella review aims to aggregate results from systematic review to comprehensively synthesize the available evidence. Following PRISMA guidelines, we systematically searched CINAHL, COCHRANE Library, PubMed, and Scopus through April 2025. Systematic reviews with meta-analyses of primary tinnitus interventions were included. Outcomes focused on validated measures of tinnitus severity, distress, loudness, and quality of life. Study quality was assessed using AMSTAR-2. A total of 44 systematic reviews were included, covering 7 intervention domains. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), hearing aids, tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT), and sound/music therapy consistently improved tinnitus-related outcomes (eg, THI reductions up to -14.50, P < .001). Cochlear implantation yielded the largest effects (eg, THI -29.97) but is reserved for patients with moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss who are not adequately helped by hearing aids. Neuromodulation and acupuncture showed modest or inconsistent benefits with high heterogeneity. This umbrella review provides the current and comprehensive analysis of tinnitus treatments. CBT, hearing aids, TRT, and sound/music therapy show consistent benefit. Cochlear implantation offers the greatest effect in patients with moderate-to-profound hearing loss unresponsive to hearing aids. Other therapies show mixed evidence. These findings offer a much-needed evidence framework to guide treatment decisions and future research.

Compound Danshen Dripping Pills: A potential anti-oxidative drug for the treatment of noise-induced hearing loss in mice.

Therapeutic potential of Cuscutae Semen and Rehmanniae Radix Preparata in age-related central hearing loss associated with Gad1 regulation.

Perrault syndrome (PS) is a rare autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, ovarian dysgenesis in females, and variable neurological impairment. Pathogenic variants in TWNK, encoding the mitochondrial helicase Twinkle, disrupt mtDNA maintenance and underlie a subset of PS cases. Here, we generated the first mouse models carrying patient-specific TWNK missense mutations c.814G>A (p.Ala272Thr) and c.1166C>T (p.Ala389Val), both in homozygosity and compound heterozygosity, using CRISPR/Cas9 editing. Mutant mice exhibit profound hearing loss, locomotor hypoactivity, and axonal peripheral neuropathy, while overall growth remains normal. Molecular assays reveal a significant reduction in mtDNA copy number and ATP content in muscle and brain, accompanied by impaired respiratory-chain function. These phenotypes faithfully recapitulate core features of human PS, establishing a genetically precise in vivo platform to dissect disease mechanisms and to evaluate targeted therapies for mitochondrial dysfunction and sensorineural hearing loss.

Cognitive load in noise: Neural signatures of speech recognition challenges in children with hearing aids.

Effective musical training protocols for the rehabilitation of children with cochlear implants: A systematic review.

Obacunone mitigates cisplatin-induced ototoxicity by activating CRHBP-mediated autophagy.

Acute nicotine affects auditory brainstem responses in a frequency-, age-, and sex-dependent manner in mice.

Global, regional, and national burden of age-related hearing loss and Alzheimer's disease, 1990-2021, with projections to 2040: A global burden of disease study.

NRH attenuates age-related hearing loss by suppressing cochlear ferroptosis and cellular senescence via Sirt3 activation.

Treating Hearing Loss With Hearing Aids for the Prevention of Cognitive Decline and Dementia.