The Audiologist Informer

Crossmodal plasticity is a textbook example of the ability of the brain to reorganize based on use. In this article, Andrej Kral and Anu Sharma propose that crossmodal reorganization is a process initiated already in mild or unilateral hearing loss continuing into complete deafness, and occurs both in congenital and adult-onset hearing loss (albeit with significant differences).

This paper explores genes associated with common forms of inherited hearing loss. Most patients diagnosed with autosomal dominant non-syndromic HL have a parent with HL, and more than 50 genes and 80 loci have been identified for this type of HL—which tends to be bilateral, post-lingual in onset, progressive, with a sloping high-frequency audiometric configuration and variable in severity. Will genetic testing become a routine part of future audiology protocols?

HearingTracker Audiologist Matthew Allsop explores natural solutions to unblock your ears, including the Valsalva maneuver—a simple, yet incredibly effective technique to relieve that uncomfortable pressure buildup—followed by a handful of other methods that might help.