Discovery
will help aid prevention measures for ailment that affects 30 million
Americans.
University
of South Florida researchers have identified a genetic biomarker for
age-related hearing loss, a major breakthrough in understanding and preventing
a condition of aging that affects 30 million Americans and greatly diminishes
their quality of life.
In a
nine-year study that was a collaboration between USF’s Global Center for
Hearing & Speech Research and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf
at the Rochester Institute of Technology, researchers were able to identify the
first genetic biomarker for presbycusis. The genetic mutation carried by those
who ultimately suffer from age-related hearing loss is linked to speech
processing abilities in older people.
journal
reference (abstract free): ScienceDirect >>