Anatomy Series: Synaptopathy and the Related Anatomy

Session Description

For many years scientists have focused on the outer hair cells (OHC) and how damage to these cells impacts the ability to hear in noise, as well as and how OHC are vulnerable to the effects of noise, aging, and ototoxic medication. More recent research has begun to unveil the impact of the damage to the cochlear synapses from the effects of noise, aging, and ototoxic medication synapses, and the effect on hearing in noise, as well as associated tinnitus, hyperacusis, and the condition referred to as Hidden Hearing Loss. During this course we will review the anatomy of cochlear synaptopathy as well as discuss the potential impact to auditory processing. This course is relevant for physicians, audiologists, and advanced practice providers.