Scientist Identify Molecules in the Ear that Convert Sound into Brain Signals

                                                         
     Growing up I have struggled with coping with being deaf in one ear. Some may say well, "at least your not fully deaf." And that is true, I can hear, which is a good thing. However it is a struggle..."what" is my favorite most used question. I cannot use a hearing aid because I only have 10% hearing left in my left ear, and a hearing aid would only pick up background noise, and who would want to hear that all the time. I know in my lifetime there will not be a cure for deafness, but I am hoping there will be strides to help people like me. And Scientists are making strides, at the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in La Jolla Ca., scientists have identified a critical protein called TMHS. This protein is a component of the mechanotransduction channels in the ear, which convert the signals from mechanical sound waves into electrical impulses transmitted to the nervous system.
    Dr. Ulrich Mueller a Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and director of the Dorris Neuroscience Center at TSRI said, "Scientist have been trying for decades to identify the proteins that form mechanotransduction channels." He and his team discovered the protein above. They also found that TMHS seems to be the link between the spring like mechanism in the inner ear that responds to sound and the machinery that shoots electrical signals to the brain. Dr. Mueller and his team also did some test on deaf baby mice. When functional TMHS was placed in newborn deaf mice, it restored the ears function. "In some forms of human deafness, there may be a way to stick these genes back in and fix the cells after birth," said Dr. Mueller. The article goes on to describe in more detail the benefits of TMHS, and also how an ear internally works. If you would like to read on the link will be at the bottom of this post. I know this is just the beginning of what is to come of Dr. Meuller and his research team, and I for one am hoping that he has the best of luck throughout all his experiments.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121206121948.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29