CHICAGO, May 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. researcher is using zebrafish to test drugs that may help people with tinnitus regain normal hearing.
Ernest Moore, an audiologist and cell biologist at Northwestern University, says zebrafish have ears, which are remarkably similar to humans' ears.
Moore has been able to cause ringing in the ears of zebrafish by exposing them to certain drugs and tracking their erratic swimming on video. Moore then looks at the cells in their ears to see if the electrical firing has increased, an early sign of damage and tinnitus.
Moore's early findings show an increased firing.
Moore is discussing a clinical trial to test these drugs for patients with tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.
"If these drugs are found to be safe -- and some are already on the market for other uses -- and if they are found to have efficacy in humans, then they might be used to treat an individual's tinnitus," Moore said in a statement.
"If the hair cell -- sensory receptors in the ear that vibrate to amplify sound -- is not totally damaged -- just beginning to break down, and you administer these drugs, you might be able to prevent it from further damage and interfere with the cells' ability to generate tinnitus."
