Inner Ear Stem Cells May Someday Restore Hearing

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http://neurosciencenews.com/hearing-ear-stem-cells-7891/

Summary: Scientists at Rutgers University found that they can reverse deafness by injecting stem cells into the inner ear. The cells can be converted into auditory neurons. However, they also found that the cells increase the risk of cancer due to rapid cell division. After more research, they determined that this can be controlled. They found that a gene called NEUROG1 that was used in the stem cells were causing the cell division. They also found that by changing the chromatin in the cells, it can potentially reduce the unwanted division. These studies will help scientists determine the best cell replacement therapy.

Connection: We learned about hearing in Physiological Psychology. We learned about how there are hair cells in our inner ear which bend when vibrations hit them. When they bend, they open K+ and Ca+ channels which allow action potentials to go through the auditory nerve and then relay the message to the brain to determine what was heard. When there is damage to those hair cells caused by an overexposure to noise, it can cause hearing loss. There also can be damage to the auditory neurons and when they are damaged, they cannot regenerate. Hopefully, scientists can come up with a safe way to reverse deafness.

Comments

  1. Adam MyersNovember 17, 2017 at 6:50 AM

    I'm really fascinated with stem cell therapy. It seems like it will be able to cure almost all of humanity's ailments in the near future. I have known several deaf people over the course of my life, but don't have any close personal relationships with any. Cochlear implants seem to work fairly well, but it's just not good enough in my opinion. The big problem this technology may run into is the political movement around deaf culture.

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