Is the ringing sound in the ears caused by dying ear cells?

Question

I was recently watching the movie "Children of Men" (great movie) by Alfonso Cuarón. Now in a certain scene, the lead actor happens to be nearby a loud explosion. Later, when he complains about the *'ringing-sound'* in his ears due to the explosion, a co-actor replies:>**Julian:** You know that ringing in your ears? That *'eeeeeeeeee'*?<br/> That's the sound of the ear cells dying, like their swan song. Once it's gone you'll never hear that frequency again.<br/> Enjoy it while it lasts. <br/>How true is that statement? <br/>Do the ear-cells really die after such an incident?Can you really never hear that frequency of the ringing-sound again?

Answer 1

Great questions! Hearing and hearing loss are very complex issues, especially because tinnitus (the ringing you described) actually originates in the brain rather than the ear itself! Our perception of sound if largely controlled by neurotransmitter release, and when we are exposed to loud noises (like an explosion), the synapses in the cochlea and systems involved with neurotransmitter release can be damaged. Whether the damage is permanent is dependent on the exact nature of the trauma. Short-term, low-level noise exposure (think sitting in an airplane for several hours) can disrupt the synapses for a period of time, but then they return to normal. More intense exposure, over longer periods of time (think mowing lawns without ear protection for 8 hours every day), can result in lasting changes. Something like an explosion obviously would certainly cause permanent damage just because of the intensity of the sound. So yes, some cells would very likely die or experience severe damage, and the ringing the character hears is due to the inappropriate release of neurotransmitters as a result.

If you're interested in reading some journal articles on the subject, or want more specific details, I highly recommend looking into some papers from the labs of Matthew Xu-Friedman, Micheal Dent, and Amanda Lauer.