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Music On Earphones Causes Deafness
Loud music played on earphones causes deafness by having a similar effect on nerves as multiple sclerosis (MS), scientists have learned.
New research shows that noise levels above 110 decibels strip insulation from nerve fibres carrying signals from the ear to the brain.
Loss of the protective coating, called myelin, disrupts electrical nerve signals.
The same process, this time due to an attack from the immune system, damages nerves in the brain and results in MS.
Loud noises are well known to lead to hearing problems such as temporary deafness or tinnitus (ringing in the ears). But this is the first time scientists have been able to identify the underlying damage to nerve cells.
The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Lead researcher Dr Martine Hamann, from the University of Leicester, said “The research allows us to understand the pathway from exposure to loud noises to hearing loss. Dissecting the cellular mechanisms underlying this condition is likely to bring a very significant healthcare benefit to a wide population. The work will help prevention as well as progression into finding appropriate cures for hearing loss.”
The scientists found that myelin lost as a result of noise exposure regrows in time, meaning hearing can recover.
“We now understand why hearing loss can be reversible in certain cases,” Dr Hamann added. “We showed that the sheath around the auditory nerve is lost in about half of the cells we looked at, a bit like stripping the electrical cable linking an amplifier to the loudspeaker. The effect is reversible and after three months, hearing has recovered and so has the sheath around the auditory nerve.”
The work is part of ongoing research into the effects of loud noises on the cochlea nucleus, a brainstem region that receives sound signals from the inner ear. The team has already shown that damage to cells in the cochlea nucleus can cause tinnitus.
[Press Association]
Posted by
BKAY
August 31, 2012 at 2:19 pm
WATCH OUT PIPO! I HAD THOUGHT DAT!
Enock Vindundu
August 31, 2012 at 3:41 pm
Woe! to us who likes loud music on earphones,no option but to minimise….
taliban
August 31, 2012 at 4:22 pm
come to Zambia..alot of silly idiots use them..
Jack Silwimba
August 31, 2012 at 4:23 pm
What if you put them in your a88?
Wanu Ngwee
August 31, 2012 at 5:09 pm
There’s a serious debate in some countries about banning earphones due to the high occurence of fatal road traffic accidents involving pedestrians wearing these gadgets.It seems therefore that a total ban of earphones is for the common good of humanity.
WAKUMELO LUTANGU
September 1, 2012 at 11:09 am
CHACHINE!
Idrissou
September 1, 2012 at 2:01 pm
It all starts with these choncholiz who produce and flood our markets with cheap phones and headphones.muzakapya kuli mulungu bantu bakasila kufa matu!!
laughing cow
September 3, 2012 at 7:25 pm
watching long duration movies on plasma screens causes blindness, scientists have lied oh! have learnt
Msadabwe
September 5, 2012 at 10:50 am
Hmmm, interesting. Its like a scientist today telling you that eating sweet potatoes leads to impotence. Ask the US Army, Air force etc how many ex servicemen are deaf. These people spend their entire lives wearing headsets for communication. Remember the caveat, buyer beware! The Y2K saga, etc. Open your eyes and ask yourselves, are you satsfied with life you are leading? Ziba number mwana, this is another article not even worth the space it occupies.
Getting married soon
September 14, 2012 at 1:03 pm
What about us DJ’s?