Understanding why phantom sounds and intolerance to sounds happen after hearing loss
Official title: Maladaptive central plasticity and suprathreshold hearing disorders in humans with sensorineural hearing loss and their relation to biomarkers of cochlear synaptopathy
Funded at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary · NIH-11397425 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant investigates why some adults with hearing loss experience tinnitus, hyperacusis, and trouble ignoring background noise, and how brain changes relate to these symptoms.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | August 2, 2017 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $578,395 |
| NIH project number | 5P50DC015857-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11397425 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults 21 years or older with sensorineural hearing loss who experience tinnitus, hyperacusis, or difficulties with background noise.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without hearing loss or those without related symptoms may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
If funded, researchers will study how damage to cochlear nerves and changes in brain hearing centers create ongoing, loud, and distracting sounds. The project looks at how the brain’s balance and timing of signals may go awry after hearing loss, leading to persistent perceptual issues. The work aims to link these experiences to measurable brain and biomarker changes so we can better understand who is affected and how to help them. The team will combine human data with animal findings to map the pathway from ear nerve changes to central brain activity that produces these symptoms.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: A clearer understanding of why people with hearing loss develop tinnitus and related symptoms could lead to better treatments and therapies to reduce distress and improve listening in daily life.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal studies suggest maladaptive brain changes after cochlear nerve damage, with potential translation to human symptoms.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Polley, Daniel B. — Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
- Study coordinator: Polley, Daniel B.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Biomarkers linked to cochlear nerve damage in adults with sensorineural hearing loss
A project to find biological markers of cochlear nerve damage and see how they relate to hearing problems like difficulty hearing in noise and tinnitus in adults with hearing loss.
-
Cochlear nerve connections and hearing loss in human temporal bones
A large, patient-facing research effort analyzes how nerve connections in the inner ear deteriorate in people with sensorineural hearing loss by studying post-mortem human temporal bones.
-
Cochlear nerve disease and how it affects hearing in models of hearing loss
This grant studies how damage to the nerves of the ear happens and how it affects hearing in noisy places, using animal models to inform future human therapies.
-
Sensorineural hearing loss and how it affects understanding speech
This project explores why people with similar hearing loss have different abilities to understand speech, especially in noisy places, and aims to uncover the brain and ear mechanisms behind these differences.
-
Understanding why some people with hearing loss can’t understand speech in noise
This grant studies why some people with hearing loss can’t understand speech in noisy environments, even when they can hear it, to identify new ways to help them hear and understand better.
-
Why some adults get tinnitus, sound sensitivity, or trouble hearing in noisy places
Researchers will link ear-nerve damage and the brain's overreaction to explain tinnitus, sound sensitivity, and difficulty hearing in background noise in adults with sensorineural hearing loss.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.