Projects

Genetic Epidemiology of Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a highly prevalent hearing disorder in adults. Over 50 million Americans experience some form of tinnitus, and almost 20 million people struggle with clinical CT, while 2 million have extreme and debilitating cases. Noise, music, smoking, ototoxicity, ear infections, and hearing loss are the major risk factors for tinnitus. However, almost 50% of tinnitus cases are not attributable to any known environmental cause, and there is a likely genetic component to tinnitus susceptibility. Our team is conducting a genome-wide association study to uncover the genetic architecture of tinnitus for developing novel prevention and treatment approaches.

Genetic Epidemiology of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL)

Over 1 billion young adults are at risk of acquiring noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) due to their habit of listening to music at loud levels and for prolonged periods. Recent evidence suggests that genetic factors can modify an individual’s susceptibility to NIHL. As the field of genetics is on the cusp of providing the knowledge that will allow personalized care of health, our research is investigating the genetic bases of NIHL in young adults. We are developing risk assessment methods using genetic, environmental, and lifestyle-related factors. The risk assessment models can help clinicians identify the levels of modifiable factors (such as noise) necessary to reduce an individual’s risk to an acceptable level, which can be returned as individualized recommendations for prevention. Our long-term goal is to develop novel prophylactics and therapeutics for NIHL.

Investigating the Role of Diet and Nutrition in the Etiology of Tinnitus

Conducted by Sarah Kingsbury, prospective AuD student:

Noise and music exposures are well-known risk-factors for chronic tinnitus in young adults (18-35 years old); they are not perfectly predictive, though. Not all people who experience tinnitus are older, and not all have had extensive noise exposure or a traumatic event that would induce hearing loss or tinnitus (e.g., loud vocational work, head trauma, etc.). Essentially, there is a population of young adults who do not have hearing loss, but still experience tinnitus. Research suggests that a range of genetic and non-genetic risk factors may shape an individual's susceptibility to tinnitus. One potential factor that can influence tinnitus is diet. However, the relationship between diet and tinnitus in young adults remains elusive. There is growing evidence that diet can alter the expression and control of genes. By using the Diet History Questionnaire III (DHQIII), a food frequency questionnaire created by the NIH, the primary purpose of the current study is to evaluate if diet and vitamin supplement intake is related to a young adult experiencing chronic tinnitus. Successful completion of the present project will allow for identification of nutritive patterns in the diets of young adults who experience chronic tinnitus.