High-Frequency Hearing: Advancing Diagnostics, Understanding Pathophysiology, and Optimizing Surgical Preservation

Clinical audiology and otology are poised to undergo significant transformations in the coming decades. One promising direction for substantial change lies in advancing high-frequency hearing, which is typically defined as sensitivity above 8 kHz and extending into the frequencies up to 16–20 kHz. The ultimate goal is to improve speech comprehension and music appreciation. However, conventional audiometry, which is the standard for routine care, typically limits its frequency range to 8 kHz. Consequently, middle ear and cochlear damage may remain undetected in individuals who have trouble hearing in noisy environments despite having “normal” thresholds. Moreover, high-frequency hearing loss serves as a common early indicator of noise exposure, ototoxicity, aging, and genetic vulnerability, all of which are not adequately captured by clinical audiograms. In parallel, modern otologic and neurotologic surgery increasingly focuses on preserving high-frequency hearing, but baseline studies are lacking in this regard.GoalThis Research Topic seeks to gather multidisciplinary work that advances diagnostic methods, elucidates the underlying pathophysiology, and enhances our comprehension of surgical outcomes associated with high-frequency hearing. We are seeking contributions that establish a connection between clinical complaints and functional hearing, using objective and behavioral measures. These contributions should identify the mechanisms driving basal cochlear vulnerability and develop more consistent approaches to measuring and reporting high-frequency change after intervention. Ultimately, our goal is to transform high-frequency hearing from a mere diagnostic tool into a clinically actionable domain that informs prevention, personalized treatment, and hearing-preservation strategies for the coming decades of clinical care.ScopeWe welcome submissions spanning audiology, otology & neurotology, neuroscience, engineering, and rehabilitation. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:o Extended high-frequency audiometry: protocols, calibration issues, reliability, and age-stratified normso Objective assessment of high-frequency function (e.g., OAEs, ABR/EFR-derived metrics, impedance/reflectance, novel biomarkers)o Links between high-frequency hearing and real-world function (speech-in-noise, localization, listening effort, patient-reported outcomes)o Pathophysiology of high-frequency loss: hair-cell injury, synaptopathy, strial/metabolic change, inflammation, cochlear mechanics and tonotopyo Etiologic patterns and risk modifiers (noise, ototoxic drugs, aging, infections, genetics, comorbidities)o Imaging, computational modeling, and translational approaches targeting basal cochlear integrityo Surgical and perioperative outcomes affecting high frequencies (stapes surgery, tympanoplasty/ossiculoplasty, cochlear implantation including EAS and hearing preservation, revision surgery)o Predictors of high-frequency preservation and recovery (technique, electrode design/position, pharmacologic protection, intraoperative monitoring)o Standardization of endpoints, reporting, and longitudinal follow-up for comparability across studies Topic editors: Aaron K Remenschneider, Jacek Smurzynski, Cristian Aedo-Sanchez, Jessica Paken Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/76801/high-frequency-hearing-advancing-diagnostics-understanding-pathophysiology-and-optimizing-surgical-preservation