Title: Analysis of impairments of inner ears caused by environmental factors
Speaker: Nobutaka Ohgami (Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine)
Abstract: Inner ears consist of the organ of Corti and vestibule. The organ of Corti plays an important role in hearing. The vestibule is crucial for sensing gravity and linear acceleration. It is important to clarify factors affecting hearing and balance since impairments of hearing and balance affect the quality of life. Genetic factors and environmental factors are known to affect health (1-3). However, there is limited information about environmental factors affecting hearing except for exposure to audible noise. In our previous studies, it was found that exposure to elements via drinking water caused hearing loss in mice with degeneration of auditory neurons in the inner ears. Our epidemiological studies also showed significant associations of hearing loss in humans with high levels of elements. Thus, our epidemiological and experimental studies suggest that hearing is affected by exposure to elements (4, 5). In this seminar, in addition to the hearing research, I would like to introduce our studies on the influence of low frequency noise on balance in mice (6) and nasal allergy exacerbated by environmental factors (7, 8).
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