# Determinants of age-induced hearing loss and reversal strategies

> **NIH NIH P01** · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · 2024 · $2,413,607

## Abstract

Abstract
 Presbycusis or age-related hearing loss (ARHL) represents the most prevalent sensory deficit. It begets social
isolation and depression. We hypothesize that aging auditory neurons undergo cellular, and structural changes,
resulting in demyelination and selective neuronal subtypes loss. The ensuing plasticity produces profound neural
network re-wiring and aberrant functional plasticity along the auditory pathway. These predicted changes'
progressive nature requires systematic analyses of the ARHL mechanism at different auditory pathway hubs,
which can only be achieved through a joint collaborative effort. Motivated by this public health challenge, we
have designed a collaborative multiscale study that addresses the aging auditory system's successive
mechanisms. The clinical and translational outcomes of our findings promise to be vast. The overarching
hypotheses are tested in three Projects, using resources and tools from four Cores.
 The investigative team consists of experts from genetic to physiology and imaging and analytical chemistry.
Three projects (P1-3) are served by four Cores (A-D). Core A is for administrative oversight and organization of
the Cores and Projects. The team includes Drs. Yamoah (Project 1), Xie (Project 2), Maria-Rubio/Williamson
(Project 3), Yamoah (Core A), Yamoah/Lee (Core B), Fritzsch/Perkins (Core C), and Zhu (Core D). Together,
they will determine the mechanisms of ARHL of sensory and neural etiology. The team has worked together
synergistically and productively. The projects focus on critical centers of the auditory pathways recognized for
the coding and processing of sound information. They include the primary auditory neurons (AN; P1), cochlear
nuclei (CN; P2-3), superior olivary complex (SOC; P2-3), and auditory cortex (ACtx, P3). We use genetic,
optogenetics, and pharmacogenetic mouse models (Core B). We employ structural analyses (Core C) and
differential proteomic analyses of young-and aged-auditory neurons to uncover biomarkers (Core D).
 Integration of the program ensures outcomes that are overwhelmingly greater than the sum of the individual
components. Identification of ARHL biomarkers is likely to pave the way for effective treatment strategies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10910232
- **Project number:** 7P01AG051443-07
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
- **Principal Investigator:** EBENEZER N YAMOAH
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $2,413,607
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2028-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10910232

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10910232, Determinants of age-induced hearing loss and reversal strategies (7P01AG051443-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10910232. Licensed CC0.

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