Age-related hearing loss is the leading cause of hearing loss globally. We’re working to detect signs of auditory aging as early in life as possible and understand how aging changes the auditory system. Our vision is a future where all adults have access to preventive hearing healthcare and hearing professionals can offer precise, personalized diagnostics and treatments.
What we’ve learned so far:
Auditory aging starts earlier than you might think.
Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), a biomarker of inner ear health, start declining as early as your 30s, even in ears that have clinically “normal” hearing. This means that subtle physiological changes may be happening in your auditory system even if you don’t yet notice a problem with your hearing.
- Glavin, C.C., Siegel, J., & Dhar, S. (2021). Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission (DPOAE) Growth in Aging Ears with Clinically Normal Behavioral Thresholds. Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 22(6), 659–680. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10162-021-00805-3.
Auditory aging may affect more than just hearing soft sounds.
We most often focus on the ear’s ability to hear soft sounds. But, our recent work suggests that aging ears with clinically normal sensitivity might have poorer frequency selectivity, or the ability to distinguish between the components of a complex sound.
- Glavin, C.C., & Dhar, S. (2025). Cochlear Tuning in Early Aging Estimated with Three Methods. Trends in Hearing, 29. https://doi.org/10.1177/23312165251364675.