An article from Media-Newswire.com reports that a professor of audiology and molecular pharmacology (who has tinnitus) is conducting research on, of all things, zebrafish, to learn if it is possible repair damaged hair cells of the ear. Ernest Moore, who teaches at Northwestern University, developed tinnitus twenty years ago in the US Army from exposure to artillery explosions and the crack of rifle fire (similar to Arches’ Barry Keate). 

Zebrafish have ears that are remarkably similar to humans. By exposing them to drugs that induce tinnitus, he then tracks their erratic swimming patterns on video. Moore then looks at the cells in their ears to see if the electrical firing has increased, an early sign of damage and tinnitus.  His early findings show an increased firing.

Then Moore attempts to block this effect with drugs to return the cells to their normal activity. In preliminary research, it appears the drugs he has tested do slow down the increased electrical firing or tinnitus-like behavior of the hair cells in the ear.

“If these drugs are found to be safe, and some are already on the market for other uses, and if they are found to have efficacy in humans, then they might be used to treat an individual’s tinnitus,” Moore said.

“If the hair cell is not totally damaged; just beginning to break down, and you administer these drugs, you might be able to prevent it from further damage and interfere with the cells’ ability to generate tinnitus,” Moore explained.

Based on his research Moore hopes to conduct clinical trials on humans to learn if these drugs may prove effective on patients with tinnitus. The  US Department of Defense has opened $50 million of funds for research on tinnitus due to the growing presence of hearing-related injuries now seen from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Moore has applied to launch the clinical trial with the drugs he has used with the zebrafish.

Half of the soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan exposed to explosive devices suffer from tinnitus. The major cause is exposure to loud noises, which can damage and destroy hair cells of the inner ear. It’s the number one war-related disability. This new funding increase is an important if belated acknowledgement by the US government for the need for more research. Despite the widespread suffering, there has only been $3 million allotted for public and private research.

Brent Curtis - Editor