Can you point me to some sources that back up your claim that neurons are damaged first and only later hair cells are lost as well. I always thought it’s the other way round.
Of course. There's an good video explaining this and also citing / explaining the same research. I made a error in my original post, it is the synapse* not neuron between the SG and audiotry nerve, and the IHC / OHC.
Hidden Hearing Loss: The Effects of Synaptopathy, Stanford.
I think there are different forms of hearing loss (hidden hearing loss, noice induced hearing loss, middle ear hearing loss, ...). I think noice induced hearing loss is most common nowadays and is caused by structural damage to hair cells. Regenerating hair cells might cure this particular form of hearing loss but not others. I think the one you mentioned has a different root cause for which new hair cells are only part of the puzzle.
