Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most common sensory disorder in older adults. Current hearing interventions, including hearing aids and cochlear implants, face limitations in accessibility and adherence. Therefore, efforts have been devoted to elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying cochlear aging and identifying effective therapeutic targets for ARHL....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable change yet — reviewed interventions are largely experimental; audiologists should monitor this space as targeted therapies move toward clinical trials.
As the population ages, age-related hearing loss is becoming a global health priority, and a clear map of emerging molecular targets could accelerate the path from lab to clinic.
- 01Review covers molecular mechanisms driving age-related hearing loss (presbycusis), including oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell death pathways.
- 02Emerging interventions surveyed include gene therapy, pharmacological agents, and stem cell approaches.
- 03Authors position these strategies as complementary or future alternatives to hearing aids and cochlear implants.
- 04No new clinical data are presented; this is a synthesis of existing research.
- 05Highlights translational gaps between animal model successes and human clinical application.
Molecular mechanisms such as oxidative stress and inflammation underlie age-related hearing loss.
studysupportedTargeted molecular interventions represent viable future alternatives to hearing aids and cochlear implants for age-related hearing loss.
opinionpartially supported- PMID
- 42746317
- DOI
- 10.3389/fnagi.2026.1924937.
- Journal
- Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
- Publication type
- review
- Evidence level
- 1a
- Population
- Not applicable — review of published literature on age-related hearing loss
- Intervention
- Various molecular and targeted interventions for age-related hearing loss
- Comparator
- Hearing aids and cochlear implants (as existing standard)
Primary outcomes
Characterization of molecular mechanisms of presbycusis; Evaluation of efficacy of emerging targeted interventions