The human temporal bone contains the organs responsible for hearing and balance, as well as nerves important for taste, smell, and the control of muscles in your face for facial expressions, like smiling. Historically, the collection of temporal bones for research dates to early reports from the 1700s, and their importance has steadily increased over the decades. Responding to the need for better treatments for disorders of hearing and balance, research has consistently benefitted from donated temporal bones to support breakthroughs such as the cochlear implant and gene therapy for congenital deafness.

To meet the growing need for tissue donations and promote research, the National Temporal Bone Banks Program was founded in 1960 at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, with support from NIH (NIDCD) and the Deafness Research Foundation (now Hearing Health Foundation). This program coordinated the efforts of 28 laboratories and clinics across the country to encourage tissue donations for research and clinical training. Continued support of that program was added in 1992 with the founding of the NIDCD National Temporal Bone Registry. In 2022, in an effort to modernize and expand resources for this rapidly evolving field, NIDCD renewed its support for the program, and in 2025, NDRI was awarded a supplemental grant through the U42 Human Tissue and Organs for Research Resource (HTORR) to take over the management and expansion of the resource, now called the National Hearing and Balance Organ Donor Program.

Read the press release on the launch of the National Hearing and Balance Organ Donor Program here.

Communication Disorders​

Specialized structures in the skull and brain are responsible for our senses of hearing, balance, and taste, as well as our capacity for voice, speech, and language. The temporal bones, located on both sides of the skull, contain the organs responsible for hearing and balance, as well as nerves important for taste and the control of muscles in your face for expressions, like smiling. The brain is connected to these structures and interprets the signals it receives and sends control signals back. Injury or disease involving the temporal bone and brain are responsible for many communication disorders and other health problems that are devastating, with few having treatments or cures. These conditions include:​

• Hearing loss​
• Dizziness​
• Vertigo​
• Tinnitus ​
• Ear infections and general ear pain​
• Facial weakness or paralysis​
• Loss or alteration of taste or smell​

Treatments and Cures​

Over many decades, clinicians and researchers have worked to develop treatments and technologies to improve the lives of people with communication disorders. Some familiar examples are: ​

• Hearing aids and cochlear implants ​
• Surgical correction and reconstruction ​
• Antibiotics and other medications ​
• Gene therapy ​
• Rehabilitation​

Tissue Donation: A Crucial Component of Discovery​

Unfortunately, effective treatments are not available for the majority of communication disorders, which is why we continue to search for cures through research. Tissue donations form the backbone of the discoveries that lead to cures and provide training for the clinicians in these fields.​

We hope that you will consider donating your temporal bones, brain, and temporal muscle tissue to the National Hearing and Balance Organ Donor Program to help us advance this mission to improve the lives of current and future generations.​

National Temporal Bone Database: A centralized repository of high-resolution images of the human temporal bone suitable for research and analysis. Access to the database is granted through an approval process to protect the integrity of the resource and its donors.​

Click here to learn more: FaceBase​

NIDCD National Ear Resource Network

The National Temporal Bone Network is a cooperative network of laboratories conducting temporal bone research including:

• Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
• Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA
• UCLA Temporal Bone Laboratory, Los Angeles, CA
• Stanford University, Stanford, CA
• University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN