Biological mechanism behind hearing loss caused by loud noises discovered. Experiment in mice opens the door to the creation of a drug capable of minimizing hearing damage.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have begun working on a device that is capable of preventing it. The team exposed unanesthetized mice to a noise of 100 decibels—equivalent, for example, to the noise of a felling mower or a nightclub—for two hours. After two weeks, it was confirmed that the mice had suffered cochlear damage and a shift in the hearing threshold.