This issue of Seminars in Hearing consists of articles that arose from the 5th National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR) biennial conference “Expanding Our Horizons: Medical Conditions and Audiology” that took place in Portland, Oregon, on October 12 to 14, 2011, and was attended by 160 clinicians, scientists, educators, and students from around the United States and abroad. The NCRAR hosts an international conference every 2 years, bringing together clinical researchers and practicing audiologists to our mutual benefit in an interactive format with the goal of translating research findings into practice. The objective of this particular conference was to expand knowledge and understanding of the interactions between the auditory system and other medical conditions and how these impact auditory intervention and rehabilitation because, for optimal function, the auditory system requires intact physiological systems throughout the body. Conditions that affect the vascular, endocrine, immune, and nervous systems also can detrimentally affect auditory system function, and the prevalence of such pathologies, such as autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes, are rapidly increasing. Furthermore, with the aging of the population, the prevalence of stroke and dementia also is increasing. Clinicians need to consider these conditions during patient evaluations and be aware of the challenges posed by these factors to select the most effective methods for rehabilitation. Likewise, scientists need to be aware of the clinical issues these patients present to target research that can be translated from the laboratory into clinical practice. Our invited speakers gave podium presentations at the conference on a variety of these topics, including effects of hormones on auditory functions; epidemiological factors associated with hearing loss and tinnitus; interactions between cognitive function and auditory processing; immune-mediated inner ear disease and hearing loss; effects of drug abuse on auditory and vestibular functions; auditory processing in patients with multiple sclerosis; and auditory hallucinations. The main conference began with a keynote address by Dr. Karen Cruickshanks. She engaged the audience with her description of epidemiological evidence suggesting that hearing loss may signal risk for negative psychological impacts and that there are unmet needs for hearing screening and hearing healthcare. Thursday’s session began with a welcome from Dr. Patrick Feeney, the Director of the NCRAR, followed by fascinating presentations from Drs. Bob Frisina and Richard Smith. Dr. Frisina presented data showing that hormone replacement therapy and
[1]
G. Liguori,et al.
Persistent Increase of Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome Among U.S. Adults: NHANES III to NHANES 1999–2006
,
2010,
Diabetes Care.
[2]
R. Hull,et al.
The influence of cardiovascular health on peripheral and central auditory function in adults: a research review.
,
2010,
American journal of audiology.
[3]
B. James,et al.
Increasing incidence of dementia in the oldest old: evidence and implications
,
2010,
Alzheimer's Research & Therapy.
[4]
Robert D Frisina,et al.
Age‐related Hearing Loss
,
2009,
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
[5]
L. Luxon,et al.
Hormones and the auditory system: A review of physiology and pathophysiology
,
2008,
Neuroscience.
[6]
E. Keithley,et al.
Immunological damage to the inner ear: current and future therapeutic strategies.
,
2002,
Advances in oto-rhino-laryngology.
[7]
C. Palmer,et al.
Reduction in caregiver-identified problem behaviors in patients with Alzheimer disease post-hearing-aid fitting.
,
1999,
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR.
[8]
R. Sharp,et al.
State-specific mortality from stroke and distribution of place of death--United States, 1999.
,
2002,
MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report.