Biomarkers in Blood May Identify Noise-Induced Trauma

Have you ever wondered if there may be a way to identify noise-induced damage before hearing loss occurs?

If so, you may want to check out this study by Parham and colleagues (2018). In 2018, these researchers studied the levels of prestin (a protein found specifically in outer hair cells) in the blood of mice after being exposed to noise. This study revealed that the levels of prestin rose sharply when outer hair cells were damaged and start to die. The authors discuss the implications of these findings and next steps for studying the phenomena in humans.

Reference

Parham K, Sohal M, Petremann M, Romanet C, Broussy A, Tran Van Ba C, Dyhrfjeld-Johnsen J. (2018) Noise-induced trauma produces a temporal pattern of change in blood levels of the outer hair cell biomarker prestin. Hear Res 371:98-104.