Jon Hamilton

Listen Up To Smarter, Smaller Hearing Aids

Jon Hamilton — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:36:14 +0000

One day in the fall of 2010, composer Richard Einhorn woke up and realized there was something horribly wrong with his hearing.

"There was an enormous, violent buzzing in my ears," he says. "And I realized that my right ear had gone completely deaf."

Einhorn, who lives in New York, was experiencing a rare problem called sudden deafness.

Alzheimer's 'Epidemic' Now A Deadlier Threat To Elderly

Jon Hamilton — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:56:24 +0000

Alzheimer's disease doesn't just steal memories. It takes lives.

The disease is now the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., and figures released Tuesday by the Alzheimer's Association show that deaths from the disease increased by 68 percent between 2000 and 2010.

"It's an epidemic, it's on the rise, and currently [there is] no way to delay it, prevent it or cure it," says Maria Carrillo, a neuroscientist with the Alzheimer's Association.

Shortage Of Brain Tissue Hinders Autism Research

Jon Hamilton — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:42:28 +0000

Research on autism is being hobbled by a shortage of brain tissue.

The brain tissue comes from people with autism who have died, and it has allowed researchers to make key discoveries about how the disorder affects brain development.

But there's not nearly enough tissue because most potential donors aren't identified, and their family members are never approached about the possibility of donation.

Mental Health Gun Laws Unlikely To Reduce Shootings

Jon Hamilton — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 14:33:18 +0000

States aren't likely to prevent many shootings by requiring mental health professionals to report potentially violent patients, psychiatrists and psychologists say.

The approach is part of a gun control law passed in New York yesterday in response to the Newtown, Conn., shooting a month ago.