Acouphènes

Tinnitus in French

AFSSAPS

French Health Products Safety Agency 

Apoptosis

A method of cellular degeneration and eventual death (of a cell).

Bion

A magnetically controlled and powered neuro-stimulation device for impaired neural and muscular functions

Cochlear Implant

A medical device implanted deep in the ear inside the cochlea to improve hearing.

CNS

Central Nervous System

Growth Factor

A molecule affecting cellular growth.  For example, neurotrophins affect the growth of nerves.

Hair Cell

Hair cells are the sensory receptors of both the auditory system and the vestibular system in all vertebrates. In mammals, the auditory hair cells are located within the organ of Corti on a thin basilar membrane in the cochlea of the inner ear and are required for normal hearing. Mammalian cochlear hair cells come in two anatomically and functionally distinct types: the outer and inner hair cells. Damage to these hair cells results in decreased hearing sensitivity, i.e. sensorineural hearing loss.  In the vestibular system they are responsible for balance. 

Hyperacussis

A hyper-sensitivity to sound

Ménière's Disease

A disorder of the inner ear that can affect hearing and balance. It is characterized by episodes of dizziness and tinnitus and progressive hearing loss, usually in one ear. It is caused by an increase in volume and pressure of the endolymph of the inner ear. It is named after the French physician Prosper Ménière, who first reported that vertigo was caused by inner ear disorders in an article published in 1861. 

Neurotransmitter

Any one of a number of chemicals that are used to transmit nerve signals across a synapse. They are released from the end of the “upstream” nerve cell and absorbed by receptors in the “downstream” cell.

Neurotrophin

A molecule that provides signaling to and from nerve cells by a very complex mechanism.

NIDCD

National Institute on Deafness and Other  Communication Disorders

Spiral ganglion

The sensory ganglion of the cochlear nerve.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is the perception of ringing, hissing, or other sounds in the ears or head when no external sound is present. To some it is just an annoyance, to others it is a life altering disease.