Study: The discovery of a genetic gene that leads to hearing loss

A study issued by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has found a new genetic cause for hearing loss in the inner ear, which is due to several genetic factors that play a role in hearing loss or severe impairment, according to the Medical Express website.

The study showed that a gene inside our body called GAS2 plays a major role in normal hearing, and its absence leads to severe hearing impairment, as it was found that the protein encoded by GAS2 is necessary to maintain the structural rigidity of support cells in the inner ear that usually helps amplify the incoming sound waves .

 

The researchers confirmed that the inner ear support cells that lack the functional GAS2 gene lose their ability to amplify the voice, causing severe hearing loss, and this is also found in people who suffer from gene mutations in the GAS2 gene that ultimately lead to severe hearing loss.

 

The study confirmed that two to three out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with hearing loss in one or both ears, and about half of these cases are hereditary, although hearing aids and cochlear implants can often help, but these devices It rarely returns hearing to normal.

 

The study focused on identifying the genes that control the development and function of the inner ear, which are the genes that are often involved in congenital hearing loss, as the inner ear contains a complex, helix-like structure, which is the cochlea, which amplifies the vibrations produced by the sound waves and turns them into nerve signals and sends These signals are towards the auditory cortex of the brain, but if this gene disappears from the body, it leads to congenital hearing loss.

 

The researchers explained that this gene works to strengthen the inner ear cells, which helps them to hear effectively, especially the columnar cells that contribute to the formation of the basic structure of the cochlea and act as a physical support for cells called external hair cells, where the external hair cells move in response to the incoming sound vibrations.

 

The researchers concluded that the GAS2 gene also causes human hearing loss, which is the first gene known to affect the mechanical properties of the supporting cells of the inner ear.