Seminars in Hearing Research at Purdue (SHRP)

Date: Thursday, February 22, 2024
Time: 12pm - 1:00pm
Location:  NLSN 1215

Title: Towards Precision Diagnostics for Complex Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Speaker: Samantha Hauser, AuD, CCC-A, PhD Candidate

Abstract:Although sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a single audiometrically defined clinical category, animal models and human temporal-bone studies show that individuals have highly complex SNHL pathologies, with variable combinations of inner and outer hair cell (IHC/OHC) injury, reduced endocochlear potential (EP), and cochlear synaptopathy. An umbrella diagnosis of SNHL belies the diversity of possible underlying cochlear pathophysiology profiles and the associated divergent listening outcomes among patients with similar audiograms. Current clinical tools and guidelines do not adequately capture this diversity in hearing, hindering individualized audiological management and treatments. To address this problem, we are testing a battery of physiological biomarkers rather than a single metric of hearing. Our coordinated battery in multiple preclinical chinchilla models of SNHL and in humans with SNHL allows for an investigation of not only isolated pathologies but considers the potential interactions between the many sources of cochlear dysfunction in complex SNHL. In addition to physiological assessment, human subjects complete behavioral measures of speech perception that place varying degrees of demand on peripheral and central factors to assess functional differences in hearing. Efforts to increase the precision of diagnostic tools in audiology, initial findings from this study, and challenges related to cross-species integration will be presented.

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