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When Dr. Kourosh Parham conceived a first-of-its-kind blood test for tinnitus, he knew further research was needed to confirm a link between a unique ear protein and the common hearing disorder. To validate his theory, the professor of surgery at UConn Health (UCH), Division of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, teamed up with fellow UCH physician-scientists to conduct two clinical trials.
Five years later, the findings of their studies, published in the journals Otology & Neurotology and Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, respectively, offer the strongest evidence yet that the protein, called prestin, may play a role in tinnitus. Parham hopes the breakthrough will spark larger studies and the development of a drug to treat the condition.
In both studies, Parham and fellow researchers Dr. Daniel Roberts, a neurotologist in the Department of Surgery's Division of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, and Dr. Erika Skoe, a hearing scientist in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, found elevated levels of prestin in individuals with tinnitus.
Prestin enables outer hair cell (OHC) function in the cochlea, the snail-shaped organ in the inner ear. OHCs are specialized cells that amplify sound vibrations in the inner ear and fine-tune hearing sensitivity.
"We now have proof of concept that an ear protein may play a central role in the development and management of tinnitus," says Parham. "Our work now says there is promise in using prestin as a biomarker for tinnitus.
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