https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A new study examining music habits among cochlear implant users has found that better hearing ability with the implant—as measured by standard speech tests—significantly correlates with increased time spent listening to music. The findings suggest that optimizing cochlear implant programming and speech outcomes may have broader benefits for patients' quality of life beyond communication alone. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-reveals-cochlear-implants-music.html Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:20:02 EST news689258117 A new study has found that for people with moderate hearing loss, being prescribed hearing aids had little impact on cognitive test scores. The study was published in Neurology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-aid-prescriptions-memory.html Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:00:01 EST news687607294 Deafness, the most common sensorineural hearing loss at all stages of life, occurs either independently or as part of syndromes associated with other symptoms, such as Usher syndrome type 1. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers have uncovered the genetic basis of deafness occurring before the onset of language. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-childhood-deafness-mutations-previously-unknown.html Wed, 07 Jan 2026 13:31:28 EST news687015061 An AI model using deep transfer learning—the most advanced form of machine learning—has predicted spoken language outcomes with 92% accuracy from one to three years after patients received cochlear implants (implanted electronic hearing device). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-ai-speech-deaf-children-cochlear.html Mon, 29 Dec 2025 11:40:02 EST news686228901 Older New Zealanders in residential care have inadequate access to vision and hearing tests, according to new University of Otago—Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-vision-residential.html Tue, 16 Dec 2025 10:08:35 EST news685102081 Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and tinnitus are associated with worse physical, psychological, and social health, according to a study published online in Frontiers in Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-age-loss-tinnitus-linked-worse.html Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:50:03 EST news685009557 A comprehensive new study published in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery reveals alarming rates of hearing loss among adolescents, with 6.2% experiencing sensorineural hearing loss and 12.9% showing signs of probable noise-induced hearing damage by age 18. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-adolescents-age.html Mon, 01 Dec 2025 13:13:08 EST news683817061 If the NHS recommended it, would people test their own hearing at home and use self-fitting hearing aids? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-people-happy-home-relieve-pressure.html Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:40:01 EST news682951063 Inspired by owls and their amazing ability to find their prey by hearing alone, my team decided to test how good humans are at discerning sounds. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-auditory-illusions-ears-play.html Thu, 20 Nov 2025 11:47:03 EST news682861622 Infants born deaf or hard of hearing show adverse changes in how their brains organize and specialize, but exposure to sound and language may help them develop more normally, according to new research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-infants-born-loss-disruptions-brain.html Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:20:01 EST news682100316 If recommended by the NHS, a high proportion of U.K. adults would be willing to test their own hearing at home and use NHS self-fitting hearing aids, University of Manchester researchers report. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-adults-diy-ear-home-survey.html Tue, 11 Nov 2025 09:43:05 EST news682076582 As the United States observes American Diabetes Month this November, a comprehensive study published in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, reveals that individuals with type 2 diabetes face a significantly elevated risk of hearing loss—a complication that often goes unrecognized and unscreened. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-strong-link-diabetes-loss-revealed.html Mon, 10 Nov 2025 12:01:03 EST news681998462 Northwestern Medicine scientists have uncovered how a specific type of cell in the inner ear plays a commanding role in shaping the cellular landscape of the organ responsible for hearing, according to a study published in Science Advances. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-genetically-hair-cells-ear.html Thu, 06 Nov 2025 14:45:04 EST news681662702 A comprehensive eight-year study examining audiological outcomes of newborns screened for congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) through universal screening demonstrates the critical importance of early detection programs in identifying infants at risk for hearing loss. The findings, published in the journal Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, reveal that approximately one-third of cCMV-related hearing loss develops after the newborn period—cases that would be missed without universal screening programs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-impact-universal-congenital-cytomegalovirus-screening.html Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:14:05 EST news681398042 Susan Bianco, an 87-year-old from Lancaster, realized she was losing her hearing when she found herself constantly asking her husband to repeat himself. She was also struggling during phone calls and social events. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-tinnitus-problems.html Fri, 31 Oct 2025 08:00:04 EDT news681116402 Hearing loss among older adults remains vastly undertreated. Federal epidemiologists have estimated that it affects about one in five people ages 65 to 74 and more than half of those over 75. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-aid-isnt.html Tue, 28 Oct 2025 09:10:03 EDT news680861157 Up to 60% of congenital and early-onset hearing loss is caused by genetic mutations in an inherited gene, and gene therapy has recently emerged as a potential treatment option. To provide a standardized framework for conducting safe, high-quality clinical trials, a group of international experts has put together guidelines on the administration of gene therapy for hereditary hearing loss. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-international-experts-guidelines-hereditary-loss.html Thu, 23 Oct 2025 11:00:06 EDT news680345102 Mutations in a gene known as CPD play a crucial role in a rare form of congenital hearing loss, an international team of researchers has discovered. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-scientists-gene-mutation-linked-deafness.html Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:01:04 EDT news679748461 More than a million people around the world rely on cochlear implants (CIs) to hear. CI effectiveness is generally evaluated through speech recognition tests, and despite how widespread they are, CI sound quality is typically not considered an indicator of users' quality of life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-speech-recognition-cochlear-implants.html Tue, 14 Oct 2025 11:00:01 EDT news679563362 For children with cleft palate, tympanostomy tube placement improves hearing outcomes, according to a study published online Sept. 25 in the Ear, Nose & Throat Journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-tympanostomy-tube-placement-children-cleft.html Fri, 10 Oct 2025 13:22:03 EDT news679321321 Countries with the highest reported levels of hearing loss also have the lowest reported use of hearing aids, finds international research published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-countries-highest-loss-lowest-aids.html Thu, 02 Oct 2025 18:30:03 EDT news678613142 Hearing loss and allergic rhinitis are associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with a stronger association seen in patients with both conditions than either one alone, according to a study published online Sept. 12 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-allergic-rhinitis-loss-linked-adhd.html Thu, 02 Oct 2025 15:16:50 EDT news678637007 An AI-powered hearing test is reliably able to check your hearing on a computer or smart phone without clinical supervision, according to a study by University of Manchester researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-ai-powered-automated-scientists.html Thu, 02 Oct 2025 09:21:05 EDT news678615662 Scientists from the Gray Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University introduced an innovative gene therapy method to treat impairments in hearing and balance caused by inner ear dysfunction. According to the researchers, "This treatment constitutes an improvement over existing strategies, demonstrating enhanced efficiency and holds promise for treating a wide range of mutations that cause hearing loss." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-gene-therapy-safeguards-preclinical.html Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:15:46 EDT news677168140 Shortly before his death in August 2025, A. James Hudspeth and his team in the Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience at The Rockefeller University achieved a groundbreaking technological advancement: the ability to keep a tiny sliver of the cochlea alive and functional outside of the body for the first time. Their new device allowed them to capture the live biomechanics of the cochlea's remarkable auditory powers, including exceptional sensitivity, sharp frequency tuning, and the ability to encode a broad range of sound intensities. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-mammalian-cochlea-alive-body.html Wed, 10 Sep 2025 12:40:04 EDT news676726801 Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may be associated with an increased risk for tinnitus, Meniere disease, vestibular dysfunction, and sensorineural hearing loss, according to a study published online Aug. 20 in the Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-gerd-linked-ear-disorders-tinnitus.html Mon, 08 Sep 2025 16:10:01 EDT news676565273 Macquarie University hearing researchers have discovered how our brains learn to listen, and how this can help us understand speech in noisy, echo-filled spaces. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-brains-goldilocks-echo-zone.html Wed, 03 Sep 2025 15:04:04 EDT news676130641 Adults with hearing loss (HL) with hearing aids have a reduced risk for dementia, according to a research letter published in JAMA Neurology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-adults-loss-aids-dementia.html Thu, 21 Aug 2025 08:17:15 EDT news674983031 Artificial intelligence-powered glasses developed by a University of Stirling researcher could dramatically improve how people with hearing loss experience sound. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-ai-glasses-loss.html Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:11:47 EDT news674309504 Optical coherence tomography (OCT), a tool routinely used to diagnose and plan treatment for eye diseases, has now been modified to collect images of the inner ear. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-imaging-method-links-ear-fluid.html Wed, 23 Jul 2025 14:00:01 EDT news672467806