In recent years about 70 genes have been identified in humans, mutations in which trigger hearing loss or deafness. When we touch something a similar process takes place: The mechanical stimulus - sliding the fingers over a rough or smooth surface, the perception of vibrations - is taken up via sensors in the skin, converted into an electrical stimulus and transmitted to the brain.
These then transform the mechanical stimuli into electrical signals, which are transmitted to the brain via the auditory nerve. When we hear, sound waves trigger vibrations that stimulate the hair-like nerve endings in the cochlea in the inner ear. In all vertebrates, and consequently also in humans, hearing and touch represent two distinct sensory systems that both rely on the transformation of mechanical force into electrical signals. In total, the researchers assessed sensory function in 518 volunteers. The examination was preceded by various studies, including studies with healthy identical and non-identical human twins. In patients with Usher syndrome, a hereditary form of deafness accompanied by impaired vision, the researchers discovered a gene mutation that is also causative for the patients' impaired touch sensitivity.
The two researchers showed that both senses - hearing and touch - have a common genetic basis. Lewin of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany. Extensive data supporting this hypothesis was presented by Dr. People with good hearing also have a keen sense of touch people with impaired hearing generally have an impaired sense of touch.
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