Sense and communication science is the most notable research since the '10 years of the brain 'and is defined as a discipline that studies the function of sensory organs to detect changes in the environment such as sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. According to US statistics, one in six people (46 million people) suffered from communication impairments and personal, social and economic expenditures became a problem, which lead to the operation of NIDCD (National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorder) under the National Institutes of Health in the USA since 1988. NIDCD supports basic, clinical and translational research and training on human resource for the study on mechanisms and treatment of normal function and pathological conditions of hearing, balance, smell, taste, speech and language. In Korea, there are various researches on brain science centered on brain diseases, but research based on sensory organs has been alienated due to its relatively low severity. Moreover, an integrated program for the study of sensory function has been absent, resulting in a barren situation on the central integration of the various senses.
The degenerative disorders of the sensory system due to aging will soon become social problems due to the aging of people and the number of patients with sensory and communication disorders has increased due to the development of diagnostic technology and medicine. This necessitates the support for a national center, such as NIDCD in the USA, that studies sensory functions to systematize the relevant field, train professionals, and improve the health care standard that promote social welfare.
The degenerative disorders of the sensory system due to aging will soon become social problems due to the aging of people and the number of patients with sensory and communication disorders has increased due to the development of diagnostic technology and medicine. This necessitates the support for a national center, such as NIDCD in the USA, that studies sensory functions to systematize the relevant field, train professionals, and improve the health care standard that promote social welfare.