New aspects of inner ear research

At birth, one in 850 babies are profoundly deaf, and hearing loss affects more than 50% of all people over 60 years of age. While hearing loss caused by disease of the external and/or middle ear is treatable, hearing loss as a result of damage to and loss of hair cells and/or auditory neurons can only be alleviated using prosthetic devices such as hearings aids or cochlear implants.