Dr Cochlea Speech, Hearing & Balance clinics

12/07/2025

Neanderthal Gene Variants Are Linked to Autism Traits in Modern Humans, Study Finds

A new study published in Molecular Psychiatry reveals that certain genetic variants inherited from Neanderthals may influence traits associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Researchers from Clemson and Loyola Universities analyzed whole-genome data from individuals with autism, their unaffected siblings, and unrelated controls.

They discovered that specific Neanderthal-derived gene snippets appeared more frequently in autistic individuals—not due to a greater overall Neanderthal DNA presence, but because of unique brain-related variants. These variants were linked to stronger visual processing and weaker activity in brain networks tied to social interaction, mirroring some common autistic traits.

The findings offer a surprising evolutionary perspective: ancient genes that may once have enhanced survival in small, perceptually focused Neanderthal communities could still shape modern cognitive styles. These inherited traits—such as heightened attention to detail, visual acuity, and logical planning—may help explain the global presence of autism and shared strengths seen across neurodiverse families. While genetics is only one piece of the puzzle, the study reframes autism as part of humanity’s diverse evolutionary legacy, challenging outdated notions of neurodiversity as merely a disorder rather than a natural variation rooted in our shared past.

learn more https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02593-7

08/07/2025

BREAKING🚨🚨: Researchers just reversed congenital deafness using gene therapy

This is an Earth-shattering milestone in treating genetic deafness.

Ultimately, researchers restored hearing in children and adults born with congenital deafness using just a single injection of a new gene therapy.

The study, led by Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and published in Nature Medicine, treated ten patients with a genetic mutation in the OTOF gene—critical for auditory signal transmission.

The therapy used a modified virus to deliver a healthy gene copy directly to the inner ear. Within just one month, all participants showed significant hearing improvements, with a seven-year-old regaining near-full hearing and engaging in normal conversations.

This pioneering treatment marks the first time gene therapy has successfully reversed hearing loss in both children and adults. Not only was the treatment well-tolerated with no serious side effects, but it also opens the door to broader applications. Scientists now aim to target other, more common deafness-related genes such as GJB2 and TMC1. If successful, these future therapies could offer new hope to millions living with hearing impairments worldwide.

learn more https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/07/250702214148.htm

27/06/2025

What if you could see heat, hear vibrations through the ground, or navigate by echoes?

Credit -

27/06/2025

An Incentive Spirometer is a medical device that encourages patients to take slow, deep breaths to help expand the lungs, improve oxygen intake, and prevent lung complications like atelectasis, especially after surgery or during long-term bed rest.

Indications:
🔹After abdominal or chest (thoracic) surgery – surgery ke baad lungs ko expand karne ke liye
🔹 To prevent or treat atelectasis – jab lungs collapse ho jaate hain
🔹 In patients on long-term bed rest – jo lambe samay se bistar par hain
🔹 In restrictive lung diseases – jahan lungs achhe se expand nahi ho pate
🔹 In neuromuscular disorders – jisme respiratory muscles weak ho jaate hain
🔹 To improve oxygenation – oxygen supply badhane ke liye
🔹 After general anesthesia – jab patient ko normal saans lena sikhaana ho

21/06/2025

Kids need germs to build strong immune systems. Western babies lack vital microbes — and it's making them sicker.

Emerging research suggests that excessive cleanliness in modern environments may be undermining children's immune development.

Scientists have found that Western babies, raised in ultra-sanitized conditions, often lack exposure to diverse microbes — beneficial bacteria that play a crucial role in training the immune system.

Without early interactions with these microbes, the body may struggle to distinguish between real threats and harmless substances, leading to an increased risk of allergies and autoimmune disorders later in life.

This microbial deprivation is contributing to a surge in health issues among children in industrialized nations, such as asthma, eczema, and food sensitivities.

Experts now advocate for a more balanced approach to hygiene, encouraging safe interactions with nature, pets, and even dirt to help develop a resilient immune system. It’s a shift in thinking that challenges long-held beliefs about cleanliness and offers a new path to long-term health.

learn more https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/hygiene-hypothesis-connection-cleanliness-and-immune-system

20/06/2025

I'm very Happy to announce that our New Branch is going to be functional soon.
Providing all Services Under one Roof-
Correction the Senses Beyond Imagination.
Following are the Services available at our New Clinic.

- Hearing tests-
-Cochlear Implant & AVT
-VNG
-Speech Therapy
-ABA Therapy
-Occupational Therapy
-Special Education


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20/06/2025

06/06/2025

Though human body is extraordinary, it isn’t perfectly designed.
It’s a tangled remix of old parts, glitchy wiring, and evolutionary leftovers.

🦵 Your knees? Built for crawling — not for standing. That’s why they wear out.
👁️ Your eyes? Wired backwards, creating a blind spot right in your vision.
🧠 That nerve in your neck? It travels a full meter just to reach your voice box.
🧬 Your DNA? 98% of it doesn’t code for anything useful — just ancient junk and viruses.
🦷 Wisdom teeth? Obsolete molars with no room, often needing surgery.
🧍 Your spine? Still designed for four-legged motion — now overloaded with vertical strain.
👶 Childbirth? Your brain grew too big for your pelvis. That’s why babies are born underdeveloped — and birth is painful.
🪶 Goosebumps? A reflex meant to fluff fur you don’t have anymore.

You’re not a masterpiece.
You’re an ongoing prototype — still under construction.

⸻

🔬 Sources:
• Neil Shubin, Your Inner Fish
• Scientific American (Retina, Blind Spot, Brain Evolution)
• Nature Reviews Genetics (Non-coding DNA)
• Journal of Anatomy (Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve)

03/06/2025

SPEECH BANANA - The "Speech Banana" is a very useful visual tool for describing where the sounds and phonemes used in everyday human speech occur on an audiogram. It indicates the audible frequency that the sound is typically heard and perceived at.

When mapped out on a graph, these phonemes
and their frequencies illustrate a banana-like shape, which is where the
term "Speech Banana" comes from.

🗣️🦻🏻🧠

Loudness and pitch:👇🏻

The human hearing range depends on a sound’s pitch – high or low – and a sound’s loudness. Pitch is measured in Hertz (Hz), and loudness is measured in decibels (dB).

The human hearing range starts at about 20 Hz for a person with normal hearing. That is about the same as the lowest pedal on a pipe organ.

When it comes to loudness, sounds that are more than 85dB can be dangerous for your hearing in the case of prolonged exposure. One should avoid Excessive & Prolonged Use of Ear Phones or a loud Environment.

09/05/2025

Your diet literally changes your jaw structure.

Softer, processed foods introduced after farming led to less wear on teeth, resulting in overbites becoming more common.

This small anatomical change made it easier to pronounce labiodental sounds like "f" and "v," which were previously rare among hunter-gatherer societies.

As a result, languages in farming cultures rapidly adopted these sounds, contributing to linguistic evolution in Europe and Asia.

This groundbreaking study supports an old theory that diet influences speech by shaping jaw structure. Computer models show that an overbite reduces the effort needed to pronounce labiodentals by nearly 30%.

Historical linguistic analysis further reveals that these sounds spread quickly in agricultural societies, becoming widespread in Indo-European languages.

However, this change came at a cost—modern humans now face issues like crowded teeth and impacted wisdom teeth due to shortened lower jaws. So, while farming may have expanded our vocabulary, it also brought new dental challenges along the way.

Learn more: https://www.science.org/content/article/ancient-switch-soft-food-gave-us-overbite-and-ability-pronounce-f-s-and-v-s

07/05/2025

Tinnitus has been linked to an unexpected biological function, and it could pave the way to a cure

Tinnitus affects about 15% of the world's population and is often linked to hearing loss.

It's a condition that causes persistent ringing in the ears. While there is no cure, researchers have found a surprising connection between tinnitus and sleep.

Tinnitus is a type of "phantom perception," where the brain creates sounds without an external source. Interestingly, most people only experience phantom perceptions during sleep, while tinnitus sufferers hear them while awake. Studies suggest that tinnitus alters brain activity, making certain regions overactive—similar to how sleep disorders like sleepwalking occur. This connection has led scientists to investigate whether sleep, particularly deep sleep, could play a role in suppressing tinnitus.

Deep sleep, or slow-wave sleep, is essential for brain recovery and memory processing. Research suggests that during deep sleep, the brain may suppress tinnitus by reducing the overactivity that causes phantom sounds. However, people with tinnitus often experience lighter, more disturbed sleep, which may worsen their condition. Understanding this link could open new treatment possibilities, such as improving sleep quality to help manage tinnitus symptoms. Future research aims to track brain activity during different sleep stages to identify natural ways the brain mitigates tinnitus. If scientists can harness the sleep-tinnitus connection, it may lead to new treatments that improve both sleep and overall well-being for millions affected by this condition.

learn more https://theconversation.com/tinnitus-seems-linked-with-sleep-understanding-how-could-bring-us-closer-to-finding-a-cure-182711

01/05/2025

light is just light” they said.
But biology doesn’t care what they say.
It runs on electrons, photons and timing, not guesses or opinions.
Your cells aren’t confused.
They’re overwhelmed.
Fix your environment before it fixes you.
Fix the Light fix the Brain function