Zebra Fish May Hold Key to Tinnitus

Tinnitus is better known as ringing in the ears, even though the sounds may not actually be ringing. Could be whooshing, high-pitched screeches or simply "noises that aren't there."

The condition is prevalent, though well hidden. When we look at someone who experiences ringing in the ears, we don't see a problem. It's internal and, believe this: patients seeking treatment for tinnitus realize they have a problem - one that has the potential to cause depression, lowered work productivity, isolation, stress and a host of other symptoms.

The Causes of Tinnitus

There is no one cause of tinnitus. In fact, because the hearing mechanism is so delicate and susceptible to damage, any number of factors can lead to tinnitus including:

• Long-term exposure to loud noise (workplace noise, for example)
• Repetitive exposure to concussive (really loud noises like gun shots) sounds
• A single incident of strong, concussive sound (a grenade, IED, e.g.)
• Infections
• Intoxication
• Head trauma
• Disease
• Mental or physical stress
  

Medication to Treat Tinnitus? Hope for the Future

Dr. Ernest Moore, who works in his Northwestern University lab, has tinnitus himself, thanks to childhood hunting expeditions and years working in the military. Dr. Moore has taken a closer look at the zebra fish and, later in 2008, plans to test his newly-developed trial drugs on tinnitus patients through the patients' physicians.

Researchers have studied zebra fish for quite a while because they have the ability to re-grow damaged or lost hearing cells - something humans can't do. For this reason, Dr. Moore and his colleagues see hope for tinnitus patients in the near future.

In a report published in The Chicago Tribune, Dr, Moore explained his interest in these aqua-allies in the war against tinnitus. "They have inner ears like ours, we know a lot about zebra fish genomes (genetics), they're transparent and prolific egg-layers," Dr. Moore explained.

Powerful little fish when it comes to hearing loss, tinnitus and hopefully future treatments for humans.