BACKGROUND More than 70 % of the cases of congenital deafness are of genetic origin, of which approximately 80 % are non-syndromic and show autosomal recessive transmission (DFNB forms). To date, 60 DFNB genes have been identified, most of which cause congenital, severe to profound deafness, whereas a few cause delayed progressive deafness in childhood. We report the study of two Algerian sibli...

Cortical development extensively depends on sensory experience. Effects of congenital monaural and binaural deafness on cortical aural dominance and representation of binaural cues were investigated in the present study. We used an animal model that precisely mimics the clinical scenario of unilateral cochlear implantation in an individual with single-sided congenital deafness. Multiunit respon...

Hearing function was tested in dogs from breeds at risk for pigment-associated congenital sensorineural deafness - Dalmatian, English setter (ES), English cocker spaniel (ECS), bull terrier (BT), Australian cattle dog (ACD), whippet, Catahoula leopard dog, and Jack Russell terrier. Deafness prevalence was highest in Dalmatians and lowest in ECS. Phenotype correlation studies were performed in b...

BACKGROUND Congenital sensorineural deafness is an inherited condition found in many dog breeds, including Australian Stumpy-tail Cattle Dogs (ASCD). This deafness is evident in young pups and may affect one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral). The genetic locus/loci involved is unknown for all dog breeds. The aims of this study were to determine incidence, inheritance mechanism, and poss...

The concept of neural plasticity and the early natural abilities of hearing children to acquire speech and language without instruction have led many authorities to advocate cochlear implantation before the age of 5 years in congenital deafness. Older children therefore become lower priority for scarce public funds because they are perceived to have passed the "window of opportunity" to learn s...

BACKGROUND The common GJB2 gene mutation (35delG) has been previously reported from Iranian patients that were affected with nonsyndromic autosomal recessive deafness. We, therefore, for the first time, investigated the prevalence and frequency of the GJB2 gene mutation in the Iranian deaf population with Arabian origins. MATERIALS AND METHODS We amplified and sequenced the entire coding sequ...

Congenital anatomical anomalies of the ear are rare. It is difficult to assess accurately the incidence of anomalies per thousand live births because some are not associated with a gross anatomical deformity of the external ear. Since the majority appear to be unilateral, it is probable that there are people who go through life with a unilateral congenital conductive deafness which is never det...

Hearing loss is the most widespread sensory disorder, with an incidence of congenital genetic deafness of 1 in 1600 children. For many ethnic populations, the most prevalent form of genetic deafness is caused by recessive mutations in the gene gap junction protein, beta 2, 26 kDa (GJB2), which is also known as connexin 26 (Cx26). Despite this knowledge, existing treatment strategies do not comp...