This study suggests that this class of neurons may compensate for age-related loss of vestibular function to maintain balance performance in older animals.
Shock and Then Purpose
Bruna’s diagnosis at age 9 months is Usher syndrome type 1B. It is a rare disease, a recessive inherited disease that we, her parents, had given to her. It is a disease that we had bypassed, but not our daughter.
How Neurons in the Brain Coordinate Movement and Prevent Falls
Activity by special neurons called unipolar brush cells reveals that they may introduce delays or increase the length of firing responses, and presumably extend vestibular sensory representations.
Thank YOU Tuesday
Hearing loss affects more people than cancer or diabetes, yet it receives significantly less funding and research attention. Your support is helping us tackle this often overlooked health issue.
Halloween When You Are Off-Balance
Most people love Halloween—costumes, treats, and going out late in the dark! But it can be scary, for real, for people who have balance or other sensory issues. Here are my tips for keeping your ghoul—I mean cool.
Balance Problems? Loud Sounds Could Be a Cause
Have you ever felt dizzy, nauseous, or unsteady on your feet after leaving a loud concert? That could be the balance organ inside your inner ear reacting to the loud sounds.
A Unique, Fast Synapse in the Inner Ear Keeps Us From Falling
The sensory organs that allow us to walk, dance, and turn our heads without dizziness or loss of balance contain specialized synapses that process signals faster than any other in the human body.
Balance Control in People With Hearing or Vestibular Loss in One Ear
Patients with hearing loss in one ear appear to have more conscious control over their response to sensory cues in their environment, resulting in a more deliberate control of balance with less degrees of freedom to respond to changes in the environment, almost like a guarding behavior.
Protocols for Preparing Mouse Balance Organs for Research
One challenge in studying vestibular organs is their location within the bony inner ear and their small size, especially in mice, which have become an advantageous mammalian model.
The Link Between Diabetes and Hearing
When a family member received a diagnosis of diabetes more than seven years ago, as an audiologist I tried to find information related to hearing problems associated with diabetes. I realized few people knew about the research connecting hearing loss and balance issues to this chronic disease.