The cause of tinnitus - cell dysfunction in the spinal cord

Hearing Research Journal reported that researchers from the Department of Cell Physiology of the University of Leicester and Pharmacology have discovered a cellular mechanism that may be responsible for the development of tinnitus, if before that, he was subjected to loud noises. The discovery could pave the way for development of new drugs that will cure tinnitus, and researchers are currently investigating potential drugs that can prevent hearing disorders.

The leader of the study, Dr. Martin Hamann from Leicester University explains:

"We need to know the causes of acoustic disturbances, not only in terms of hearing loss, but also in connection with what is happening in the brain and central nervous system. It believed that tinnitus should be due to changes in the excitability of brain cells - cells become reactive, and in this case, specifically, the case is more sensitive to the unknown sounds ».

The scientists examined cells in the spinal cord that carry acoustic signals from the nerve cells of the ear to the center in the brain, which decodes and 'interpret' the sounds. Exposure to loud noise affects some of the neurons in the spinal cord, which are beginning to behave erratically, starting randomly react that ultimately leads to tinnitus.

Even though many scientists have studied the reasons why there is ringing in the ears, it is - the first time researchers were able to characterize the cellular activity as the main cause of hearing disorders. The ability to identify cellular dysfunction in the early stages of hearing tinnitus paves the way for the development of a potential new drug treatments that can prevent hearing disorders.

Currently the team of Dr. Hamann examines potential drugs that can control the damaged cells so that their erratic movement was blocked and they could return to the resting state. The discovery of suitable components of the drug would mean that patients will be protected from the negative tinnitus after overcoming acoustic overload. However, the development of a suitable drug may take several years, given that the studies are still in their preliminary stages.