MISSOULA — A new research laboratory recently opened on the University of Montana campus to study the connection between hearing loss and brain function as people age.

The Brain, Ear, and Aging Research (BEAR) Lab launched this fall in the basement of Curry Health Center, where the School of Speech, Language, Hearing, and Occupational Sciences is housed.

Dr. Anoop Basavanahalli Jagadeesh, director of the BEAR Lab and an assistant professor, said he needed a dedicated space to teach students and expand his research. The BEAR Lab is fully equipped with two sound-treated suits, where Anoop and his students will conduct hearing, electrophysiological and cognitive tests to explore how hearing and brain function interact throughout the aging process.

Anoop’s research is focused on how agin

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