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School of Neuroscience

Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience

Hearing and sensory systems

Deafness is the most common sensory deficit in the population, affecting one in six of the UK population, with 71% of the over 70s having significant hearing loss. Karen Steel (Fellow of the Royal Society), leads our research into the genetics of deafness to identify the genes involved and to understand the different molecular mechanisms involved.

Our focus is on age-related hearing loss, and we aim to find new drug targets to slow down or stop its progression, to improve the quality of life for our ageing population. Our other areas of research into sensory systems include mechanisms involved in gut sensing and the role of the thalamus in sensory processing.

Our key questions:

What genetic variants are most commonly associated with hearing loss?
Can we develop diagnostic tools and new drugs to treat hearing loss?
Can the progression of hearing loss be halted or reversed?

Click on people profiles to discover their research:

Dr Andrew Meso

Lecturer in Computational Neuroscience
Dr Eamonn Walsh

Reader in Neuroscience Education
Professor Karen Steel

Professor of Sensory Function
Dr Alessio Delogu

Senior Lecturer
Professor Helen Cox

Professor of Pharmacology
Dr Lisa Nolan

Wellcome Trust CDA Fellow

Lifelong health and disorders

News and events

Chris Miller ER-mitochondria MRC Grant

2 June 2023

£1.3 million MRC grant awarded to study neuronal signalling failure

The Medical Research Council (MRC) has awarded £1,310,130 to King's researchers for the project…

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18 May 2023

Dr Kirsty Bannister awarded the British Pain Society Patrick D. Wall Award

The British Pain Society awarded the Patrick D. Wall Award to Dr Bannister, who gave the plenary…

Elizabeth Bradbury Lectureship high-res

28 April 2023

Professor Elizabeth Bradbury receives the 2023 American Spinal Injury Association G. Heiner Sell Lectureship Award

Professor Elizabeth Bradbury was awarded the 2023 G. Heiner Sell Lectureship by the American Spinal…

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