|
Zebrafish may help solve ringing in vets' ears
May 01, 2008CHICAGO -- Ernest Moore, an audiologist and cell biologist at Northwestern University, developed tinnitus -- a chronic ringing and whooshing sound in his ears -- twenty years ago after serving in the U.S. Army reserves medical corps. His hearing was damaged by the crack of too many M16 rifles and artillery explosions. He suspects his hearing also suffered from hunting opossum with rifles as a kid on his grandmother's farm in Tennessee.
Ever since his ears began ringing, Moore has been researching a cure. He's at the forefront of just a small band of such scientists in the country. There's a lot riding on his work.
Half of the soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan exposed to explosive devices suffer from tinnitus. The major cause is exposure to loud noises, which can damage and destroy hair cells of the inner ear. It's the number one war-related disability.
Nearly 400,000 troops collected disability for service-related tinnitus in 2006, which cost $539 million in 2006. The number climbs nearly 20 percent each year. It could hit $1 billion by 2011, according to the American Tinnitus Association.
An additional 12 million Americans have tinnitus severe enough to seek medical attention. In about two million of those cases, patients are so debilitated they can't function normally.
Despite the widespread suffering, there has only been a paltry $3 million allotted for public and private research. As a tinnitus researcher, Moore feels like a cross between Rodney Dangerfield and Sisyphus.
It's been tough to snare research money from the small purse and hard to garner respect for tinnitus. "Ears don't bleed from tinnitus," Moore explained. "It's a hidden problem. It's not obvious and dramatic like a heart attack or cancer -- although it torments its sufferers." Only one out of ten grant proposals he submits each year have been funded.
The research itself is challenging because Moore can't ask mice and rats if their ears are ringing. Now, he's working with zebrafish (yes, they do have ears, which are remarkably similar to humans' ears.) He's been able to cause ringing in their ears -- he thinks -- by exposing them to certain drugs and tracking their erratic swimming on video. Moore then looks at the cells in their ears to see if the electrical firing has increased, an early sign of damage and tinnitus. His early findings show an increased firing.
Then Moore attempts to block this effect with drugs to return the cells to their normal activity. In preliminary research, it appears the drugs he has tested do slow down the increased electrical firing or tinnitus-like behavior of the hair cells in the ear.
Moore is beginning to meet with doctors to discuss launching a clinical trial to test these drugs for patients with tinnitus.
"If these drugs are found to be safe -- and some are already on the market for other uses -- and if they are found to have efficacy in humans, then they might be used to treat an individual's tinnitus," Moore said.
"If the hair cell is not totally damaged -- just beginning to break down, and you administer these drugs, you might be able to prevent it from further damage and interfere with the cells' ability to generate tinnitus," he explained.
Tinnitus finally will begin to get some respect in April when The Department of Defense 2008 Appropriations Bill will open up $50 million in new research funding for tinnitus related to service in the armed forces. Ernest Moore has applied to launch the clinical trial with the drugs he has used with the zebrafish.
Northwestern University
Nearly 400,000 troops collected disability for service-related tinnitus in 2006, which cost $539 million in 2006. The number climbs nearly 20 percent each year. It could hit $1 billion by 2011, according to the American Tinnitus Association.
An additional 12 million Americans have tinnitus severe enough to seek medical attention. In about two million of those cases, patients are so debilitated they can't function normally.
Despite the widespread suffering, there has only been a paltry $3 million allotted for public and private research. As a tinnitus researcher, Moore feels like a cross between Rodney Dangerfield and Sisyphus.
It's been tough to snare research money from the small purse and hard to garner respect for tinnitus. "Ears don't bleed from tinnitus," Moore explained. "It's a hidden problem. It's not obvious and dramatic like a heart attack or cancer -- although it torments its sufferers." Only one out of ten grant proposals he submits each year have been funded.
The research itself is challenging because Moore can't ask mice and rats if their ears are ringing. Now, he's working with zebrafish (yes, they do have ears, which are remarkably similar to humans' ears.) He's been able to cause ringing in their ears -- he thinks -- by exposing them to certain drugs and tracking their erratic swimming on video. Moore then looks at the cells in their ears to see if the electrical firing has increased, an early sign of damage and tinnitus. His early findings show an increased firing.
Then Moore attempts to block this effect with drugs to return the cells to their normal activity. In preliminary research, it appears the drugs he has tested do slow down the increased electrical firing or tinnitus-like behavior of the hair cells in the ear.
Moore is beginning to meet with doctors to discuss launching a clinical trial to test these drugs for patients with tinnitus.
"If these drugs are found to be safe -- and some are already on the market for other uses -- and if they are found to have efficacy in humans, then they might be used to treat an individual's tinnitus," Moore said.
"If the hair cell is not totally damaged -- just beginning to break down, and you administer these drugs, you might be able to prevent it from further damage and interfere with the cells' ability to generate tinnitus," he explained.
Tinnitus finally will begin to get some respect in April when The Department of Defense 2008 Appropriations Bill will open up $50 million in new research funding for tinnitus related to service in the armed forces. Ernest Moore has applied to launch the clinical trial with the drugs he has used with the zebrafish.
Northwestern University
Tinnitus News and Current Tinnitus Events RSSOveractive nerves in head and neck may account for 'ringing in the ears'
Do your ears ring after a loud concert" Nerves that sense touch in your face and neck may be behind the racket in your brain, University of Michigan researchers say.
Silence may lead to phantom noises misinterpreted as tinnitus
Phantom noises, that mimic ringing in the ears associated with tinnitus, can be experienced by people with normal hearing in quiet situations.
Scientists Search for Brain Center Responsible for Tinnitus
For the more than 50 million Americans who experience the phantom sounds of tinnitus -- ringing in the ears that can range from annoying to debilitating -- certain well-trained rats may be their best hope for finding relief.
New cell culturing method pumps up the volume
In a breakthrough that will likely accelerate research aimed at cures for hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance problems, scientists have perfected a laboratory culturing technique that provides a reliable new source of cells critical to understanding certain inner-ear disorders.
More than 80% of patients manage to stop discomfort from tinnitus and can lead a normal life again
It is estimated that between 10 and 17% of the population has suffered tinnitus at some time in their lives, according to a number of international studies.
For First Time, Cochlear Implant Restores Hearing To Patient With Rare Genetic Disorder
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have, for the first time, used a "bionic" ear to restore hearing in a patient with von Hippel-Lindau disease. They say this advance offers new hope for individuals with the rare disorder, which can produce non-malignant tumors in ears, as well as in the eyes, brain, and kidneys.
Low-pitch treatment alleviates ringing sound of tinnitus
For those who pumped up the volume one too many times, UC Irvine researchers may have found a treatment for the hearing damage loud music can cause.
Clinical factors of tinnitus influence perceived loudness and annoyance
Clinical characteristics of tinnitus such as duration, consistency and other factors influence the way individuals perceive loudness and annoyance associated with the condition.
Hearing loss and high-speed dental tools
After 36 years in private dental practice, Fred Kreutzer, D.M.D., began struggling to hear. It's been five years since he retired from his practice and Kreutzer now wears hearing aids in both ears.
Once-daily cystic fibrosis drug offers simpler home treatment and fewer side effects for children, study shows
Nottingham researchers have found a way to treat children with cystic fibrosis (CF), which could reduce their side effects and see more young patients treated at home.
More Tinnitus News Articles
 | Tinnitus: Turning the Volume Down (Revised & Expanded) by Kevin Hogan, Jennifer Battaglino |
 | Tinnitus Handbook (Singular Audiology Text,) by Richard S. Tyler |
 | Tinnitus: Theory and Management by James B. Snow |
 | Tinnitus Retraining Therapy: Implementing the Neurophysiological Model by Pawel J. Jastreboff, Jonathan W. P. Hazell |
 | Tinnitus: Questions and Answers by Jack A. Vernon, Barbara Tabachnick Sanders |
 | Tinnitus Retraining Therapy: Patient Counseling Guide by James A. Henry, Dennis R. Trune, Michael J.A. Robb, Pawel J. Jastreboff |
 | Tinnitus: A Self-Management Guide for the Ringing in Your Ears by Jane L. Henry, Peter H. Wilson |
 | The Tinnitus Handbook: A Self Help Guide by Bill Habets |
 | Tinnitus Retraining Therapy: Clinical Guidelines by James A. Henry, Dennis R. Trune, Michael J.A. Robb, Pawel J. Jastreboff |
 | Tinnitus Treatment: Clinical Protocols |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |