Hearing Research – Current Insights

Posted: December 8, 2021

  • Korean researchers recently published an evaluation of studies on the effectiveness of Hearing Protection Devices (HPDs) according to three different outcomes: sound attenuation, sound localization, and speech perception. Seven electronic journal databases were used to search for published articles from 2000 to 2021. Based on inclusion criteria, 20 articles were chosen and then analyzed.

Kwak C and Han W (2021). The Effectiveness of Hearing Protection Devices: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Nov 7;18(21):11693. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111693.

  • MIT and Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers have reported that COVID-19 may be responsible for long-term hearing, tinnitus, and balance problems by damaging structures and functions in the inner ear. Results of a detailed study of ten COVID-19 patients with audiovestibular symptoms were published online in a  recent Communications Medicine.

Jeong, M., Ocwieja, K.E., Han, D. et al. (2021). Direct SARS-CoV-2 infection of the human inner ear may underlie COVID-19-associated audiovestibular dysfunction. Commun Med 1, 44 (2021). doi.org/10.1038/s43856-021-00044-w

  • Your cat is keeping an ear on you!  For our feline fans, check out this new research suggesting your cat is likely using sound to keep track of where you are, even when they can’t see you. Results of this study suggest cats have mental representations about their out-of-sight owner linked to hearing the owner’s voice, indicating a previously unidentified socio-spatial cognitive ability.

Takagi S, Chijiiwa H, Arahori M, Saito A, Fujita K, Kuroshima H (2021). Socio-spatial cognition in cats: Mentally mapping owner’s location from voice. PLoS ONE 16(11): e0257611. doi.org/10.1371