Researchers have published the results of a study indicating that a supplement may help prevent and treat noise-induced hearing loss.
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College and the Gladstone Institutes have published the results of a study indicating that a supplement described as the precursor to vitamin B3 may help prevent and treat noise-induced hearing loss.
In the article published in the journal Cell Metabolism in December, a chemical called nicotinamide riboside (NR) was used successfully to prevent short- and long-term hearing loss in mice before and after noise exposure.
During the animal trial, scientists administered NR to protect the nerves inside the cochlea, which transmit sound information via the spiral ganglion to the brain. Doctors have long known that exposure to loud noises causes hearing loss. NR proved successful at protecting these synaptic connections from damage in mice during the trial.
The researchers suggest that their findings may lead to better treatments in the future, as current antidotes for inner-ear disorders— including hearing loss— are limited. “This discovery identifies a unique pathway and a potential drug therapy to treat noise-induced hearing loss," study author Kevin Brown, associate professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, said in a news release. Brown conducted the research while at Weill Cornell.
While promising, the application of these findings still have yet to be tested in humans and could be several years away.