Noise pollution and aging combine to aggravate the problem. Humans with lost synapses may still hear the beep in a hearing test even at a low volume that stumps someone with cell or nerve damage. Later the team discovered that although the mice’s hair cells had survived, half of their synapses were gone. In the study, mice were forced to endure a 100-decibel noise-about the same level as using a lawnmower-for two hours. In 2009, a watershed study in mice documented that loud noises could specifically destroy synapses. "Hidden" hearing loss is defined as hearing loss that's not detectable on standard hearing tests, which zero in on problems within the ear.Īudiologists have described patients like Alice for years. Medically this is sometimes referred to as "cochlear synaptopathy"-although not everyone with invisible hearing loss has synaptopathy. The signal arrives incomplete, therefore missing information we need to interpret words. Hidden hearing loss often arises because of loss of synapses in between. Ordinary hearing loss arises from damage to the hair cells or the nerve. These signals must cross over synapses, which are the vital junctions between nerve cells. When we hear, movement in the cilia, or hair cells, in the inner ear send signals to the auditory nerve, also known as the vestibulocochlear nerve, or the eighth cranial nerve. diagnostic distortion product otoacoustic emissions.According to an article in the Hearing Journal, all of the following tests also may be used by an audiologist to help pinpoint hidden hearing loss and rule out other causes: Sometimes, hidden hearing loss can be revealed by using a quick "words in noise" or "sentences in noise" test, which involves listening to recorded segments of speech set in increasingly noisy settings. When you have hidden hearing loss, what you likely need is more thorough testing to help root out what's going on. If you've been told that a standard "pure-tone" hearing test showed no signs of hearing loss, don't give up. Feeling easily distracted or unable to focus in noisy settings.A preference for quiet settings for conversations.A strong sense that you have hearing loss, even after passing a hearing test.There is no established set of guidelines to diagnose hidden hearing loss, but some things to look out for include: But in a study of more than 100,000 patient records from a 16-year period, about 10 percent of patients who visited the audiology clinic at Massachusetts Eye and Ear had a normal audiogram, like Alice, despite their complaints. No one is sure how many people have hidden hearing gloss. "Hidden" hearing loss is defined as hearing loss that's not detectable on standard hearing tests, which zero in on problems within the ear, but not the nervous system. For this reason, it’s not a well-understood condition. Yet when she’s sought out professional help, she passes her hearing test with flying colors.Īlice, who now avoids crowded restaurants and parties, most likely has what’s known as “hidden hearing loss”-a brain problem hearing tests aren’t designed to catch. For most of her adult life, Alice*, a psychologist in New York, has struggled to hear, especially in noisy places.
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