EAR2BRAIN, Research project coordinated by Simone Perottoni - postdoc researcher at the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” - funded by “Giovani Ricercatori” di Fondazione Cariplo, has kicked off.

Hearing loss is one of the main risk factors for dementia. But how do the ear and brain communicate? In addition to electrical signals, they exchange specialized fluids that are still poorly understood. The EAR2BRAIN project aims to develop personalized cochlea models compatible with MRI, combining computational fluid dynamics analyses with 3D-printed physical models created using biomimetic fabrication techniques.

These models will allow the study of fluid exchanges between the inner ear and the brain and their role in the link between hearing loss and dementia, helping to better understand the behavior of key molecules such as the beta-amyloid, and opening new avenues for diagnosis and innovative sound-based therapies.