Loud music at concerts, the crashing of tools at construction sites, and weapons fire can all cause noise-induced hearing loss. Acute ear trauma caused by loud noises can also progress to more serious conditions such as tinnitus and hyperacusis. People with tinnitus hear ringing or buzzing sounds that aren’t there, whereas people with tinnitus hear ringing or buzzing sounds that aren’t there. hyperacusis Usually, normal levels of sound are perceived as painful.
“Noise-induced hearing loss is extremely common and debilitating. It is the leading cause of hearing loss, with one in five people worldwide suffering from hearing loss,” says Dr. says. Thanos Tsonopoulos,Tell you pop science. “Hearing loss, especially noise-induced hearing loss, is very common, but its biological mechanisms are not completely understood.”
[Related: It’s never too early to start protecting your hearing.]
Tsonopoulos is a co-author of a new study focused on this type of hearing loss.his Research has discovered the molecular mechanism of noise-induced hearing loss in mice and showed that drugs can be used to reduce hearing loss. Here are the findings: The study was published February 12 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
What does zinc have to do with hearing loss?
zinc It is an essential nutrient for living things. It helps the immune system, metabolic function, sense of taste and smell, and even helps with wound healing.
about 90 percent While the zinc in your body is bound to proteins to help maintain structure and function, the remaining 10 percent is considered “free zinc.” Zinc is not bound to proteins and is stored in small vesicles within cells, and dysregulation of zinc can cause problems at the cellular level.
“As previously shown in the literature, dysregulation of zinc signaling can lead to cell degeneration and cell death, which can lead to conditions such as ischemia and optic nerve degeneration,” Tsonopoulos said. says.
zinc trap
inside studyThe research team used mice to investigate whether zinc dysregulation plays a role in the damage that loud noises cause to the inner ear. A massive release of zinc into the intercellular spaces occurred just a few hours after the mice were exposed to loud sounds. This excess zinc ultimately damages cells and disrupts normal communication between cells.
[Related: Why what we see influences what we hear.]
The researchers then administered a sustained-release compound that captured excess free zinc in two ways: into the mice’s inner ears or their abdomens. Mice treated with this compound were less likely to develop hearing loss and were protected from noise-induced damage.
“The fact that both options were effective in protecting the mice from hearing loss suggests that in the future we could develop pills that can be taken before exposure to known loud sounds to protect against hearing loss.” “It suggests that there is a sex,” Tsonopoulos said. “We can either reduce hearing loss after noise exposure has occurred, or we can prevent hearing loss if we administer it in anticipation of noise exposure.”
How to prevent hearing loss
The team is currently developing the treatment for preclinical safety studies, with the goal of eventually making it an over-the-counter drug option to prevent hearing loss. According to Tsonopoulos’ research, 100db– The sound of an average soccer game or lawnmower is enough to cause a rapid zinc release that damages the inner ear and causes hearing loss.
“The best way to protect yourself from hearing loss is prevention,” Tsonopoulos says. “Always wear earplugs when going to a loud concert or when you expect to be in a loud environment.”
other option This includes lowering the volume of music on your headphones, limiting excessive exposure to noise, and moving away from noise as much as possible.