APPW2025

Oranizers :Takehiko Ueyama (Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Biosignal Research Center, Kobe University) and Fumiaki Nin (Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Division of Biological Principles, Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu University)

Hearing loss, including sensorineural hearing loss from the cochlea to the primary auditory cortex, is one of the most common sensory disorders, affecting 5% of the population. However, there is still no fundamental treatment, even with the use of hearing aids or cochlear implants, it is impossible to restore the sharp sensitivity that the cochlea naturally possesses. Sensorineural hearing loss is classified into genetic hearing loss, which is estimated to occur in 1 out of 500 births, and acquired hearing loss, represented by age-related hearing loss. While individual pathologies of over 150 types of genetic hearing loss are being elucidated, the understanding of the pathology of acquired hearing loss, which affects approximately 10 million people in Japan, is lagging behind. Furthermore, it has been revealed that hearing loss is not only directly linked to language development disorders in infancy and early childhood but also a major factor in the onset of dementia in the elderly, making the development of its treatment an urgent issue not only in the medical field but also in society. Against this background, in this symposium, we would like to share the prospects of translational auditory research based on basic medical research while introducing the latest auditory research from diagnosis to treatment.