An understanding of genetics enhances both auditory research and the clinical management of individuals with hearing impairment, which is genetic in more than half of the cases, are becoming available as a result of advances in gentics research. In this volume the authors present the fundamental principles and methodology of genetics, the application of these research methods to hereditary hearing impairment, and the identity and function of genes associated with auditory disorders. As a comprehensive review of the genetics of hearing, this book will be of interest to a wide audience, including auditory scientists, clinical audiologists, otolaryngologists, and genetic counselors.

Contents: - Introduction and Overview: Genetics in Auditory Science and Clinical Audiology Bronya J.B. Keats and Charles I. Berlin

- Genes and Mutations in Hearing Impairment Karen B. Avraham and Tama Hasson

- Mapping and Cloning of Genes for Inherited Hearing Impairment Robert F. Mueller, Guy Van Camp, and Nick J. Lench

- Genetic Epidemiology of Deafness Walter E.Nance and Arti Pandya

- Cytogenentics and Cochlear Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) for identification Genes Involved in Hearing and Deafness Ann B. Skvorak Giersch and Cynthia C. Morton

-Autosomal and X-Linked Auditory Disorders Andrew J. Griffith and Thomas B. Friedman

- Hearing Loss and Mitochondrial DNA Mutations: Clinical Implications and Biological Lessons Nathan Fischel-Ghodsian

- Mice as Models for Human Hereditary Deafness Karen P. Steel, Alexandra Erven, and Amy E. Kiernan

- Genetic Conseling for Deafness Kathy S. Amos and M. Katherine Oelrich

About the Editors: Bronya J.B. Keats is Professor and Head in the Department of Genetics and Director of Molecular and Human Genetics Center of Excellence at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans. Arthur N. Popper is Professor in the Department of Biology and Director of the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. Richard R. Fay is Associate Director of the Parmly Hearing Institute and Professor of Psychology at Loyola University of Chicago.

About the Series: The Springer Handbook of Auditory Research presents a series of synthetic reviews of fundamental topics dealing with auditory systems. Each volume is independent and authoritative; taken as a set, this series will be the difinitive resource in the field