MIT research findings could lead to improved hearing aid technology

Image from NCBI Bookshelf

Guess how many years it takes on average from the time someone thinks they have a hearing loss to the time they decide to do something about it? The answer: 7 years (HLAA Fact Sheet)! There are a number of factors that contribute to this fact including cosmetics and cost, but also the performance of hearing devices. Most people understand that hearing devices cannot restore normal hearing; however, they can help people with hearing loss hear in many situations and thus provide the gift of communication. 

There is a constant drive towards more advanced hearing aid technology development. The most common complaint I hear about hearing devices is when people are trying to pick out speech at restaurants or other scenarios where there is background noise. Although hearing devices can be fine-tune across different pitch changes, people's voices cannot be isolated or singled out from other amplified background noise and so all sounds are amplified. 

Recently, MIT researchers announced that they are exploring future technology possibilities since discovering a new mechanism involving the inner ear's ability to distinguish sounds. In 2007, these researchers reported that the "tiny, gel-like tectorial membrane, located in the inner ear, coordinates with the basilar membrane to fine tune the ear's ability to distinguish sounds." It was also found that the proteins of the tectorial membrane play an important in this process and a gene mutation can inhibit its function. 

Their goal is to mimic this interaction between the tectorial membrane and basilar membrane in a hearing device in an effort to focus on important frequencies for speech. This type of technology could be in the future, but who know when. To stay optimistic, it is wonderful to know researchers are working towards a goal that many millions of people suffering from hearing loss would appreciate. Stay tuned...

You can read more details about these mechanisms on the MIT website. 

via HearingSparks