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Tinnitus, often referred to as ringing in the ears, has a reported prevalence of 10鈥�15% in the adult population. It is often associated with pre-existing hearing loss or noise-induced damage to the hearing system.

Evidence suggests that tinnitus has a heritable component although previous genetic studies have not established specific risk factors. The researchers, from the 麻豆传媒视频网站 Ear Institute and King鈥檚 College London, reviewed over 170,000 participants with tinnitus and identified a number of genes which may be linked to the condition.

There is currently little knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in tinnitus, which has hindered the development of treatments. Using data from a dedicated Tinnitus Biobank, the researchers looked at biological pathways to identify the genes. They found a number of genes which may be linked to tinnitus, notably the RCOR1 gene, which has not been previously linked to hearing.

The paper, published in Scientific Reports, received the Marie & Jack Shapiro Prize, which is given each year by Tinnitus UK to published research by a UK based author, 鈥榤ost likely to result in improved treatment or public awareness of tinnitus鈥�. The prize is named after the late Jack Shapiro and his wife Marie, who both played an important role in the establishment of the charity and in raising awareness of tinnitus.

Professor Sally Dawson (麻豆传媒视频网站 Ear Institute), who co-led the study, said:

鈥淲e hope that our findings will be the first step towards understanding the biological mechanisms underlying tinnitus and ultimately developing a therapy to prevent or treat this condition.鈥�

The prize was judged by Tinnitus UK鈥檚 Professional Advisers鈥� Committee, who said:

鈥淭he authors of this study have used the records of over 170,000 participants in UK Biobank to identify a gene they newly link to the risk of developing tinnitus. Importantly, the gene was not linked to hearing loss, but seems to have an independent link to tinnitus. Future research on this gene might help to identify mechanisms of tinnitus or develop new treatments.鈥�

The work was supported by a PhD studentship from the Royal National Institute for the Deaf and by NIHR funding to support the 麻豆传媒视频网站 Biomedical Research Centre.聽

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