Cochlear Synaptopathy: The “Hidden” Form of Hearing Loss

In this episode, we’re talking about cochlear synaptopathy, also known as “hidden hearing loss,” a lesser-known form of hearing damage that can make understanding speech difficult even when standard hearing tests appear normal. References:Ponsot E. Unraveling hidden hearing loss. Elife. 2024 Dec 5;13:e104936. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.104936Haile LM, Kamenov K, Briant PS, Orji AU, Steinmetz JD, Abdoli A, Abdollahi M, Abu-Gharbieh E, Afshin A, Ahmed H, Rashid TA. Hearing loss prevalence and years lived with disability, 1990–2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet. 2021 Mar 13;397(10278):996-1009. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00516-XLivingston G, Huntley J, Liu KY, Costafreda SG, Selbæk G, Alladi S, Ames D, Banerjee S, Burns A, Brayne C, Fox NC. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission. The lancet. 2024 Aug 10;404(10452):572-628.Liu H, Wang L, Su W, Xie XQ. Advances in recent patent and clinical trial drug development for Alzheimer’s disease. Pharmaceutical patent analyst. 2014 Jul 1;3(4):429-47. https://doi.org/10.4155/ppa.14.22Liberman MC, Kujawa SG. Cochlear synaptopathy in acquired sensorineural hearing loss: Manifestations and mechanisms. Hearing research. 2017 Jun 1;349:138-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2017.01.003Bramhall N, Beach EF, Epp B, Le Prell CG, Lopez-Poveda EA, Plack CJ, Schaette R, Verhulst S, Canlon B. The search for noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy in humans: Mission impossible?. Hearing research. 2019 Jun 1;377:88-103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2019.02.016Share with a friend. Rate, Review, and Subscribe to MedEvidence! Articles to be notified when new episodes are released.Follow us on Social Media:FacebookInstagramTwitterLinkedInTiktokYoutubeFor more great content, including discussions by physicians and clinical research experts, check out the MedEvidence! Podcast and MedEvidence.comThank you for listening!