Antioxidants, dietary supplements, and brain imaging are among some of the new strategies being used to help detect, treat, and prevent noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and tinnitus among American troops, according to researchers atHenryFordHospitalinDetroit.

The research team, led by Michael Seidman, MD, is the first to identify how acoustic trauma from machinery and explosive devices damages the inner ear cells and breaks down cell growth, much like age-related hearing loss.

“Improvised explosive devices, aircraft, and other weaponry being used by the military are frankly deafening our troops,” says Seidman, “Noise-induced hearing loss doesn’t just impact a person’s ability to hear; it can cause balance issues, make it difficult to sleep and communicate, and even raise the risk for heart disease by increasing a person’s blood pressure, lipids, and blood sugar.”

Seidman will also discuss the use of nutraceuticals, such as acetyl-l-carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, and resveratrol, a substance found in red wine and red grapes, to mitigate hearing-related issues.

Based on initial results of the team’s research, Seidman says a nutraceutical with a resveratrol-based component may hold the potential to not only prevent, but reverse hearing loss in certain circumstances for soldiers. This research is based on animal models, but will soon be tested with humans to see if a pill could be developed to prevent acoustic trauma in troops.

In addition, Seidman will highlight new research on tinnitus. A study co-authored by Susan Bowyer, PhD, senior bioscientific researcher atHenryFordHospital, found that an imaging technique called magnetoencephalography (MEG) can determine the site of perception of tinnitus in the brain, which could in turn allow physicians to target the area with electrical or chemical therapies to lessen symptoms.