Uploaded August 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
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Noise-induced hearing loss is a great issue in our society. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, over 25% of American adults suffer from some form of hearing loss and 360 Million people suffer from disabling hearing impairments worldwide. We might use hearing aids or cochlear implants to treat hearing loss, however, users often suffer from poor comprehension of speech in noisy environments. Recently, optogenetics has been established as a promising field of research to cure hearing loss. But how does optogenetics work?
Let's start by talking about how people normally hear their environments. Sounds reaches the ear in waves and causes the ear drum to vibrate. Tiny bones in the middle ear start to move, which causes the movement of hair cells in the cochlear. Through this movements, hair cells generate electrical impulses which our brain deciphers as sound.
Since the conversion of sound into electrical impulses is very complex, most hearing impairments are rooted in hair cell dysfunctions. If mutations occur in genes which are involved in the process humans are normally born deaf. Moreover, we can actively lose hair cells through the extensive usage of aspirin or being exposed to loud music. Hidden hearing loss is also caused by the exposure to loud music but often does not affect the ability to hear quite noises.
Optogenetics is a scientific discipline in which we manipulate the activity of neurons by introducing certain genes into them. Genes in optogenetics lead to the production of opsins which are light-sensitive receptors. After being exposed to certain lights, these opsins make electrical impulses. In optogenetics, we use opsins to control the activity of neurons in living animals. Based on this principle, deaf gerbils were treated for the first time last year to cure hearing loss: After being exposed to certain lights, these mammals showed behaviour similar to healthy animals which hear loud noises. Moreover, trained deaf animals also reacted to light very similar as to sound (prior to becoming deaf). Although optogenetics is very promising many challenges remain concerning efficiency, safety, toxicity and the production of small light sources. Nevertheless, optogenetics might lead to the production of new hearing aids through which users can finally appreciate music.
For your further research:
Moser, Tobias. "Optogenetic stimulation of the auditory pathway for research and future prosthetics." Current opinion in neurobiology 34 (2015): 29-36.
Wrobel, Christian, et al. "Optogenetic stimulation of cochlear neurons activates the auditory pathway and restores auditory-driven behavior in deaf adult gerbils." Science translational medicine 10.449 (2018): eaao0540.
Mohan, Mahalaxmi. "Optogenetics-A brief review." International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research 8.2 (2017): 440.
Music:
Intro:
Light Sting by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com
Transitions:
Light Thought var 3 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: incompetech.com
About Clemens Steinek:
CLEMENS STEINEK is a postgraduate student/youtuber (LifeLabLearner) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.
Subscribe for more awesome biomedical research: bit.ly/2SRMqhC
Noise-induced hearing loss is a great issue in our society. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, over 25% of American adults suffer from some form of hearing loss and 360 Million people suffer from disabling hearing impairments worldwide. We might use hearing aids or cochlear implants to treat hearing loss, however, users often suffer from poor comprehension of speech in noisy environments. Recently, optogenetics has been established as a promising field of research to cure hearing loss. But how does optogenetics work?
Let's start by talking about how people normally hear their environments. Sounds reaches the ear in waves and causes the ear drum to vibrate. Tiny bones in the middle ear start to move, which causes the movement of hair cells in the cochlear. Through this movements, hair cells generate electrical impulses which our brain deciphers as sound.
Since the conversion of sound into electrical impulses is very complex, most hearing impairments are rooted in hair cell dysfunctions. If mutations occur in genes which are involved in the process humans are normally born deaf. Moreover, we can actively lose hair cells through the extensive usage of aspirin or being exposed to loud music. Hidden hearing loss is also caused by the exposure to loud music but often does not affect the ability to hear quite noises.
Optogenetics is a scientific discipline in which we manipulate the activity of neurons by introducing certain genes into them. Genes in optogenetics lead to the production of opsins which are light-sensitive receptors. After being exposed to certain lights, these opsins make electrical impulses. In optogenetics, we use opsins to control the activity of neurons in living animals. Based on this principle, deaf gerbils were treated for the first time last year to cure hearing loss: After being exposed to certain lights, these mammals showed behaviour similar to healthy animals which hear loud noises. Moreover, trained deaf animals also reacted to light very similar as to sound (prior to becoming deaf). Although optogenetics is very promising many challenges remain concerning efficiency, safety, toxicity and the production of small light sources. Nevertheless, optogenetics might lead to the production of new hearing aids through which users can finally appreciate music.
For your further research:
Moser, Tobias. "Optogenetic stimulation of the auditory pathway for research and future prosthetics." Current opinion in neurobiology 34 (2015): 29-36.
Wrobel, Christian, et al. "Optogenetic stimulation of cochlear neurons activates the auditory pathway and restores auditory-driven behavior in deaf adult gerbils." Science translational medicine 10.449 (2018): eaao0540.
Mohan, Mahalaxmi. "Optogenetics-A brief review." International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research 8.2 (2017): 440.
Music:
Intro:
Light Sting by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com
Transitions:
Light Thought var 3 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: incompetech.com
About Clemens Steinek:
CLEMENS STEINEK is a postgraduate student/youtuber (LifeLabLearner) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.
