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Program studies age-related hearing loss

by Vicky J. Ott
Human Tissue for Research
More than 28 million Americans have some form of hearing loss. 

Although there are many causes of hearing loss, age-related hearing loss (also known as presbyacusis) is the most common and has been the focus of the Hearing Research Program at MUSC for more than 15 years. 

With funding from the National Institutes of Health to the departments of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, the program was established in 1987 to evaluate age-related changes in auditory function using longitudinal studies of hearing in both a gerbil animal model and older human subjects. 

Since that time, more than 700 people have participated and about half remain active participants.  Pathophysiological and histopathological studies were focused on animals and in 2002, these studies shifted from animals to morphologic and molecular studies of human temporal bones. 

The inner ear is located deep within the temporal bone of the skull, making it impossible to study directly in living persons. It would be of interest, for example, to compare changes in the structures of an older person’s inner ear with results of hearing tests and other measures of auditory function. Accordingly, a Temporal Bone Donation Program has been established to recruit donated tissue from the temporal bones of terminally ill inpatients at MUSC and older subjects currently active in our longitudinal study who consent to donate their temporal bones after death.

“The success of the Temporal Bone Donation Program depends upon the cooperation of patients and their families,” said John Mills, M.D., principal investigator of the Temporal Bone Donation Program. “Indeed, human patients through the donation of tissue for research become the driving force in research on hearing and deafness as well as in many fields of biomedical research.” 

Although temporal bones have been collected and studied at several major research institutions, no facility has yet been successful in obtaining the tissue within a very short period after death. One unique aspect of MUSC’s Temporal Bone Donation Program is the method and time frame of acquisition. Tissues within the inner ear deteriorate rapidly after death and must be preserved quickly. 

MUSC's protocol aims to preserve and collect the inner ears within four hours of the death of the donor. Another unique aspect of this program is prior to death, the donor’s hearing will be tested using non-invasive measures. The results of these tests will then be compared to structural and chemical changes in the inner ear. 

Potential donors are identified by their physicians who then request the patient’s or family’s permission for the coordinator of the Temporal Bone Donation Program to contact them. The specifics of the donation program are explained and if the patient agrees, a consent form is signed. When possible, non-invasive measures of hearing are obtained.  The Temporal Bone Donation Group is notified immediately upon a donor’s death so that the temporal bones can be collected in a timely manner.

Asking someone to donate tissue can be quite sensitive. But for some people, the possibility of bequeathing a part of the body provides an element of hope and a means of contributing to the future. 

For family members, the donation can offer a positive aspect to an otherwise tragic situation and, as studies have shown, helps in dealing with grief in a more concise and timely manner. 

Many people are aware of tissue and organ donations for transplantation, but tissue donation for research is often overlooked.  Transplantation can greatly affect another’s life, whereas donation of tissue for research could affect an entire generation. 

The removal  of temporal bones does not alter the donor’s appearance and will not affect funeral arrangements. The donation is treated with the utmost respect and is handled under strict guidelines approved by the university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB).

For information about this program, call 792-0542 or pager #18160.
 
 

Friday, April 16, 2004
Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.