title: On the Distant Horizon--Medical Therapy for Sensorineural Hearing Loss.
abstract: Hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit in developed societies. Hearing impairment in children, particularly of prelingual onset, has been shown to negatively affect educational achievement, future employment and earnings, and even life expectancy. Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), which refers to defects within the cochlea or auditory nerve itself, far outweighs conductive causes for permanent hearing loss in both children and adults. The causes of SNHL in children are heterogeneous, including both congenital and acquired causes. This article identifies potential mechanisms of intervention both at the level of the hair cell and the spiral ganglion neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hinds Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, Harkness Pavilion, 180 Fort Washington Avenue, Floor 7, New York, NY 10032, USA. Electronic address: akl2144@cumc.columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Anil K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Lalwani
mesh_terms: D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D012038:Regeneration; D013136:Spiral Ganglion / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Gene therapy; Hair cell; Hearing loss; Spiral ganglion neuron