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Deafness Research UK awards new grants to leading clinical research teams
Dr Claire Steves and colleagues at the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London are conducting a pilot study of older female twins to find out whether it's possible to unpick the relationship between age-related hearing loss, genetics and the environment. The twins are an ideal study group as they have the same genes and upbringing but different hearing profiles. If the pilot is successful, the team will go on to conduct hearing tests on more than 3,800 twins and try to relate the results to 15 years worth of data already collected as part of the Twins UK research programme.
Mr Francis Ajiboye, a clinical Audiologist and Lecturer at The Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, is teaming up with colleagues at University College London and the UCL Ear Institute to investigate a tool for evaluating suspected cases of auditory processing disorder (APD). Children suspected of APD show normal audiograms (a standard test of hearing) but have difficulty discriminating similar speech sounds and understanding speech when there is background noise. While the underlying cause is not yet known, anatomical structures in the auditory pathway between the ear and the brain may be involved. In people with normal hearing, speech sounds produce a consistent electrical response in the brainstem that can be picked up by electrodes placed on the skin. The team will use this simple, non-invasive technique to compare auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) between people with normal hearing and those with suspected APD. It is hoped that ABRs will prove a useful, objective tool to aid diagnosis, as there is currently no single test for APD.
In the New Year, Dr Amanda Hall at the University of Bristol will begin a study with colleagues at the Institute of Child Health in London and at the University of Southampton to look at the effect of a common genetic mutation on hearing. Connexin 26 is a gene involved in maintaining the balance of fluids in the inner ear. Having two copies of a mutation in this gene leads to permanent deafness but it is not yet known what affect just one copy of the mutation has on hearing. The team will study children taking part in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Of the 7,000 children in the group, 1-2% are known to carry one copy of the connexin 26 mutation. By comparing genetic, hearing and infection data collected from the children up to the age of 11, the team hope to find out whether there are any differences between those with and those without the mutation. The team also hope to find out whether there is any advantage in having one copy of the mutation, as this may explain why it is so common.
