Usually, hearing loss that is called sensorineural or nerve deafness is actually caused by problems with the cochlea, instead of the actual auditory nerve, but a very small percentage of hearing loss is caused by problems with the nerve, itself ... usually related to acoustic neuromas (tumors) on the nerve covering.
Aug. 16, 2006 - New research is challenging the long-held belief that autism autism affects only those regions of the brain that control social interaction, communication, and reasoning -- suggesting, instead, that the disorder affects the entire brain.
Indeed, the idea that individuals with autism have excess synapses has been proposed before. To test this hypothesis, Columbia researcher Guomei Tang analyzed brain tissue from 26 children and young adults affected by autism. Thirteen of the children were between the ages of 2 and 9 when they died.