Help for deaf humans may come on little cat feet

A new study in cats demonstrates how cochlear implants in very young animals allow them to develop normal nerve fibers to transmit sound and restore hearing by reversing damage to the brain's hearing network.

The findings by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore help explain why such implants are about 80 percent successful in restoring hearing to young children who are born deaf, but rarely work in adults who are congenitally deaf.