miguel angel
03-12-2009, 02:34 PM
"By Carolyn Murray
Anchor
Published: March 11, 2009
Researchers estimate each cochlea contains about 16,000 hair cells. When the hair cells are damaged, they don’t regenerate, so the loss of function is permanent. Some people with milder degrees of sensorineural hearing loss may be helped with a hearing aid. More profound hearing loss may require surgical placement of a device called a cochlear implant.
Neil Segil, Ph.D., Cell Biologist with the House Ear Institute, and his colleagues are studying deaf mice to help them understand why hair cells don’t regenerate. Interestingly, mice are born deaf. For the first two weeks after birth, ear cells in mouse babies have the ability to divide and differentiate into hair cells. After that time, the hair cells stop dividing. The scientists hope to find clues that tell them how the hair cells are able to regenerate early on and then why they lose that ability about two weeks after birth. That information may lead to clues about regenerating hair cells in humans.
Segil says treatment may eventually take on one of two forms. First, scientists may be able to take remaining hair cells and coax them to divide and differentiate into new hair cells. Second, another type of stem cell may be instructed to turn into a hair cell. Then transplanted into the inner ear, it would grow and function.
Otologist/Surgeon, Jose Fayad, M.D., says, for people with mild degrees of sensorineural hearing loss, hair cell regeneration may one day restore close to normal hearing. For those with more severe damage, treatment may enable them to hear without the need for a hearing aid or other type of hearing device".
fuente: http://www.counton2.com/cbd/news/local/article/hearing_regneration/21965/
Anchor
Published: March 11, 2009
Researchers estimate each cochlea contains about 16,000 hair cells. When the hair cells are damaged, they don’t regenerate, so the loss of function is permanent. Some people with milder degrees of sensorineural hearing loss may be helped with a hearing aid. More profound hearing loss may require surgical placement of a device called a cochlear implant.
Neil Segil, Ph.D., Cell Biologist with the House Ear Institute, and his colleagues are studying deaf mice to help them understand why hair cells don’t regenerate. Interestingly, mice are born deaf. For the first two weeks after birth, ear cells in mouse babies have the ability to divide and differentiate into hair cells. After that time, the hair cells stop dividing. The scientists hope to find clues that tell them how the hair cells are able to regenerate early on and then why they lose that ability about two weeks after birth. That information may lead to clues about regenerating hair cells in humans.
Segil says treatment may eventually take on one of two forms. First, scientists may be able to take remaining hair cells and coax them to divide and differentiate into new hair cells. Second, another type of stem cell may be instructed to turn into a hair cell. Then transplanted into the inner ear, it would grow and function.
Otologist/Surgeon, Jose Fayad, M.D., says, for people with mild degrees of sensorineural hearing loss, hair cell regeneration may one day restore close to normal hearing. For those with more severe damage, treatment may enable them to hear without the need for a hearing aid or other type of hearing device".
fuente: http://www.counton2.com/cbd/news/local/article/hearing_regneration/21965/