Hyperacusis Research Ltd. Founder Bryan Pollard Speaks on TinnitusHub Podcast about New Frontiers in Research

Bryan speaks to Hazel from Tinnitus Hub about new findings in hyperacusis research and how the non-profit Hyperacusis Research Ltd. leverages media, partnerships, and relationships with research to amplify the influence of donations.

Listen here: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/podcast/episode/transforming-hyperacusis-research-bryan-pollard/

Or you can read the transcript with the following link: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/podcast/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/transcript-tinnitus-talk-podcast-ep-08-bryan-pollard.pdf

“Now we’re seeing $3 – 4 million more per year in research grants from the Government for hyperacusis… that’s the way we look to use the money that we raise is to literally turn it around and multiply it by 100 with these larger sources of funding.”

Bryan Pollard

So, the question becomes ‘what exactly is happening with a setback, physiologically’? This is a new aim and emphasis we have with the Researchers

Bryan Pollard

Please take new online survey created by distinguished researchers in France

Please help the University of Aix-Marseille in France with their hyperacusis survey. The survey has now been translated into English! 

The questionnaire is entitled: “Characterization and evaluation of tinnitus and hyperacusis, as well as various potentially associated symptoms.”

It will take between 20 and 30 minutes and must be completed in one session. It is not possible to close the survey and finish it later, so plan accordingly!

The online questionnaire is here:
https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4675746/Hyperacusis-project

Early 2019 Update from Hyperacusis Researchers

ENT & Audiology news is featuring hyperacusis in its early 2019 issue. There are several good articles regarding the latest hyperacusis research including from researchers at SUNY at Buffalo. There is also an update from the CORDS patient survey that provides some insight into an often overlooked yet highly relevant aspect of hyperacusis; setbacks.

Unravelling the mystery of hyperacusis with pain
By Bryan Pollard

Physiological mechanisms of hyperacusis: an update
By Benjamin D Auerbach

James Lind Alliance Gives Patients a Voice. Your participation is needed

The James Lind Alliance has posted a survey to take your questions and present them to researchers and clinicians. This is a priority setting partnership (PSP) that gives patients an equal voice to clinicians in determining the top 10 pressing needs in research. You can participate by clicking the link below and submitting what you feel needs more attention in hyperacusis research:

Submit your hyperacusis research priorities to researchers today

A similar priority setting partnership was done for tinnitus. The process was described as follows

  1. Harvesting questionnaire launch (see link above for hyperacusis questionnaire)
  2. Harvesting questionnaire classification and sorting.
  3. Ranking questionnaire (ranking questions submitted in harvesting questionnaire)
  4. Ranking questionnaire classification and sorting
  5. Prioritization meeting (a group of 50% clinicians and 50% patients negotiate the top 10 pressing items for research)

A summary of the results of a parallel effort for tinnitus  can be found by using the link below:
Tinnitus Priority Setting Summary

Painful Hearing May Be Caused By Noise-Induced Brain Inflammation

A recent study has found that high noise levels result in the upregulation of genes responsible for inflammation and pain in the cochlear nucleus (low level auditory brain). The study was performed at the University of Buffalo and is an indirect product of the lobbying of Hyperacusis Research. One of this paper’s authors, Dr. Salvi, is a scientific advisor at Hyperacusis Research. Donate to Hyperacusis Research to help fund more studies like these.

“In the pain and inflammatory array, noise exposure upregulated mRNA expression levels of four pain/inflammatory genes, Tlr2, Oprd1, Kcnq3 and Ntrk1 and decreased mRNA expression levels of two more genes, Ccl12 and Il1β. Pain/inflammatory gene expression changes via Ntrk1 signaling may induce sterile inflammation, neuropathic pain, microglial activation and migration of nerve fibers from the trigeminal, cuneate and vestibular nuclei into the CN. These changes could contribute to somatic tinnitus, hyperacusis and otalgia.”

HHF Blog: http://hearinghealthfoundation.org/blog?blogid=246
Paper ($35.95): http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1044743116300823

University of Iowa Tinnitus & Hyperacusis Conference July 16-17, 2016

The University of Iowa will be having their 24th annual conference on tinnitus and hyperacusis July 16-17, 2016. Both health care professionals and patients are welcome. The first author of the hyperacusis literature review, Dr. Richard Tyler, will be presenting on treatments for loudness and annoyance hyperacusis. Details about the conference and registration can be found here.