Research
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The Auditory Exposome
The exposome is the totality of exposures a person experiences from conception onward, proposed as a complement to the genome. It includes internal factors such as metabolism and inflammation, and external factors such as noise, diet, and lifestyle habits. We apply this framework to the auditory system, focusing on tinnitus, misophonia, and hearing loss.
Current Research Focus
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is the perception of sound without an external source. Tinnitus varies widely in how it sounds, how much distress it causes, and how people respond to treatment, and there is no cure.
Misophonia
Misophonia is a strong emotional reaction, such as anger, disgust, or anxiety, to specific everyday sounds, often sounds made by other people, like chewing or breathing. Little is known about its causes. We study how misophonia relates to auditory function and overall health.
Selected Publications
Association Between Tinnitus and Angina Pectoris in U.S. Adults: Evidence from NHANES 2009-2018
Britton, M., & Bhatt, I. S. (2026). Audiology Research, 16(2), 35. Read article
Domain-Specific Associations Between Physical Activity and Tinnitus in NHANES 2015–2018
Britton, M., & Hosick, P. A. (2026). Audiology Research, 16(3), 90. Read article
Hearing healthcare in the music industry: Results from the MusiCares and Tuned partnership survey
Fagelson, M., Malyuk, H., Warner, A., & Britton, M. (2026). Frontiers in Audiology and Otology, 4, Article 1744394. Read article
A Phenome-Wide Comorbidity Atlas of Age-Related Hearing Loss, Speech-in-Noise Deficits, and Tinnitus: Distinguishing Causal Signals from Correlation
Bhatt, I. S., Tucker, D., Britton, M., Hoffa, A., Pate, B. J., Dias, R., & Garay, J. A. R. (2025). Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology. Advance online publication. Read article
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