In front of great advances in physiological and molecular aspects in hearing area, every day it becomes more evident that the continuing molecular and physiological advances in hearing research require the exchange of knowledge between otolaryngologists, speech-language pathologists, and basic scientists, particularly geneticists.

Deafness is an etiologically heterogeneous trait, with many known genetic and environmental causes. It is estimated that 10% of the world population has hearing loss, requiring some form of aid for communication. Deafness represents a challenge that has a severe effect on the individual and those ones who live with him, becoming a major obstacle for daily communication.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuing effort to determine the molecular genetic basis of deafness. Understanding molecular mechanisms associated with development and function of the hearing organ aim to pave the way for research into therapeutic tools and to inform public policies for planning of programs and investments. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Mapping genes of deafness
• Genes expressed in the inner ear
• Using mouse mutants to study deafness
• Micro-RNA and hearing impairment
• Mitochondrial mutations and hearing loss
• Age-related and noise-induced hearing impairment
• Syndromic and nonsyndromic hearing loss
• Molecular diagnosis of inherited hearing impairment
• The epidemiology of hereditary deafness
• Genetic testing for deafness and newborn hearing screening
• Inner ear gene therapy
• Social aspects of genetic counseling for deafness patients

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/gri/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable: