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Tiny hairs in the ear which detect sounds have been regenerated to reverse deafness for the first time, say US researchers in the journal Neuron.
An injection of a drug led to the creation of new hairs in tests on mice.
Normal hearing was not restored, rather the mice went from hearing nothing to detecting sounds such as a door slamming or traffic.
Experts said it was "tremendously exciting" but warned treating humans was still a distant prospect.
To hear anything sound waves have to be converted into electrical signals which the brain will understand. The first step in the process takes place deep inside the inner ear where vibrations move tiny hairs and the movement creates an electrical signal.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20960418
An injection of a drug led to the creation of new hairs in tests on mice.
Normal hearing was not restored, rather the mice went from hearing nothing to detecting sounds such as a door slamming or traffic.
Experts said it was "tremendously exciting" but warned treating humans was still a distant prospect.
To hear anything sound waves have to be converted into electrical signals which the brain will understand. The first step in the process takes place deep inside the inner ear where vibrations move tiny hairs and the movement creates an electrical signal.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20960418