Can you hear me now?.........................
Tinnitus, hearing and Meniere's Ring list, just FReepmail me!..................
Posted on 07/14/2011 3:29:09 PM PDT by Red Badger
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts have been researching how the human ear distinguishes between sounds with subtle differences. They have identified a particular mutation affecting the tectorial membrane inside the inner ear which interferes with the way sounds are sorted during the hearing process. Researchers hope that further study of this mechanism may lead to new hearing aids and other assistive devices that are much more effective than the models currently on the market.
Scientists have long known that hair cells along the basilar membrane inside the cochlea translate sound waves into electrical impulses that are then sent to the brain for further processing. Different frequencies of sound waves are captured by the hair cells at different points along the membrane which helps the brain identify the frequency and sort complex sounds into recognizable patterns.
Several years ago MIT researchers Dennis Freeman and Roozbeh Ghaffari identified that the tectorial membrane - a small string of gel material less than an inch long and thinner than a single strand of human hair - also plays a role in this process. They discovered that sound waves that move up and down travel along the basilar membrane while those that move side to side travel along the tectorial membrane.
Freeman, Ghaffari, and several other collaborators recently discovered that sound waves did not travel as fast or as far along the tectorial membrane in mice missing the TectB gene (which encodes one of three proteins that form the tectorial membrane) as compared to mice with that gene intact. This leads to fewer hair cells being stimulated, making it more difficult to distinguish between similar sounds.
The researchers hope to use this discovery to develop a new generation of hearing aides capable of tuning into specific ranges of frequencies correlating to the human voice. Hearing aides today are not able to focus on specific sounds but rather amplify all of the sounds input into them, both signal and noise.
TFOT has previously reported on other research and technology related to hearing and assisting the hearing impaired including new tactile devices that translate sounds into vibrations the deaf and hearing impaired can feel on their skin, an ear implant that makes it easier for the hearing impaired to distinguish sounds from each other, and a computerized lip reading system that can help the hearing impaired as well as help the police solve crimes.
Read more about the MIT research into how the tectorial and basilar membranes work during the hearing process in this press release.
http://web.mit.edu/press/2010/hearing-mechanism.html
Can you hear me now?.........................
Tinnitus, hearing and Meniere's Ring list, just FReepmail me!..................
Ring!..............
Amazing! So it the research they are doing and the technology they create from it. Thanks for the ping.
Thanks for the ring!
Doesn't matter to me, anyway. I'm never getting married again.
I'm not required to hear anything I don't want to hear. ;)
/johnny
Very cool.
I have been wearing hearing aids for the past few years and for me, it has been a “quality of life” enhancement.
P.S. Also, when I take the grand kiddies to McDonald’s Playland, I can remove my hearing aids rather quickly.
Badge,,,,, Standard hearing test can’t even tell me about how much I’ve lost. My tinnitis is louder than people speak, and louder than the standard hearing test volume is set to. They offer me hearing aids that are basically the same as someone yelling in my ears. Not interested! I still hope for a chemical/medicinal solution.
What kind do you have and were they expensive? I feel like my hearing is deteriorating, but I had a hearing test a couple of years ago, and they said I was OK. I really have trouble hearing people on the phone and in conversations sometimes, though.
I’ve been told that hearing aids have a lot of annoying buzzes and other sounds. Is that the case?
The brand name of my hearing aids is “Zon”, I’m well pleased with them. No annoying noises. Mine give a quiet beep, sort of a warning that the battery is almost dead, about 20-30 minutes later it beeps again and it is dead.
I pay a little under $4 per 8 pack of batteries and one battery lasts about 7-8 days,an 8 pack lasting a little more than a month. The only times I remove them is to shower or sleep or while mowing, weed eating etc.
The set I have, cost $5,000 and I consider them well worth it. I agree with others who have said that they are selling for a whole lot more than they cost to manufacture and could be cheaper, somewhere in the chain, someone is making a tremendous profit.
By the way, they are almost invisible to the casual observer, if that is a concern. It’s not to me.
Thanks for the ping!
Thanks for the info. At that price, I may have to settle for an ear trumpet. ;-)
Ditto......
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.