scholarly journals Transmission of auditory sensory information decreases in rate and temporal precision at the endbulb of Held synapse during age-related hearing loss

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (6) ◽  
pp. 2695-2705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruili Xie
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Auditory System ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Auditory Nerve ◽  
Temporal Precision ◽  
Synaptic Inputs ◽  
Endbulb Of Held ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss ◽  
Old Mice

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is largely attributed to structural changes and functional declines in the peripheral auditory system, which include synaptopathy at the inner hair cell/spiral ganglion cell (SGC) connection and the loss of SGCs. However, functional changes at the central terminals of SGCs, namely the auditory nerve synapses in the cochlear nucleus, are not yet fully understood during ARHL. With the use of young (1–3 mo) and old (25–30 mo) CBA/CaJ mice, this study evaluated the intrinsic properties of the bushy neurons postsynaptic to the endbulb of Held synapses, and the firing properties of these neurons to direct current injections as well as to synaptic inputs from the auditory nerve. Results showed that bushy neurons in old mice are more excitable and are able to fire spikes at similar rate and timing to direct current injections as those in young mice. In response to synaptic inputs, however, bushy neurons from old mice fired spikes with significantly decreased rate and reduced temporal precision to stimulus trains at 100 and 400 Hz, with the drop in firing probability more profound at 400 Hz. It suggests that transmission of auditory information at the endbulb is declined in both rate and timing during aging, which signifies the loss of sensory inputs to the central auditory system under ARHL. The study proposes that, in addition to damages at the peripheral terminals of SGCs as well as the loss of SGCs, functional decline at the central terminals of surviving SGCs is also an essential component of ARHL.

scholarly journals Synaptic Transmission at the Cochlear Nucleus Endbulb Synapse During Age-Related Hearing Loss in Mice

2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 1814-1824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Wang ◽  
Paul B. Manis
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Synaptic Transmission ◽  
Cochlear Nucleus ◽  
Auditory Nerve ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Nerve Activity ◽  
Synaptic Release ◽  
Endbulb Of Held ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss

Age-related hearing loss (AHL) typically starts from high-frequency regions of the cochlea and over time invades lower-frequency regions. During this progressive hearing loss, sound-evoked activity in spiral ganglion cells is reduced. DBA mice have an early onset of AHL. In this study, we examined synaptic transmission at the endbulb of Held synapse between auditory nerve fibers and bushy cells in the anterior ventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN). Synaptic transmission in hearing-impaired high-frequency areas of the AVCN was altered in old DBA mice. The spontaneous miniature excitatory postsynaptic current (mEPSC) frequency was substantially reduced (about 60%), and mEPSCs were significantly slower (about 115%) and smaller (about 70%) in high-frequency regions of old (average age 45 days) DBA mice compared with tonotopically matched regions of young (average age 22 days) DBA mice. Moreover, synaptic release probability was about 30% higher in high-frequency regions of young DBA than that in old DBA mice. Auditory nerve–evoked EPSCs showed less rectification in old DBA mice, suggesting recruitment of GluR2 subunits into the AMPA receptor complex. No similar age-related changes in synaptic release or EPSCs were found in age-matched, normal hearing young and old CBA mice. Taken together, our results suggest that auditory nerve activity plays a critical role in maintaining normal synaptic function at the endbulb of Held synapse after the onset of hearing. Auditory nerve activity regulates both presynaptic (release probability) and postsynaptic (receptor composition and kinetics) function at the endbulb synapse after the onset of hearing.

scholarly journals Biased Auditory Nerve Central Synaptopathy Exacerbates Age-related Hearing Loss

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meijian Wang ◽  
Chuangeng Zhang ◽  
Shengyin Lin ◽  
Yong Wang ◽  
Benjamin J. Seicol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Auditory Nerve ◽  
Spiral Ganglion ◽  
Central Auditory Processing ◽  
Endbulb Of Held ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Central Synapses ◽  
Ganglion Neurons ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss

SUMMARYSound information is transmitted from the cochlea to the brain by different subtypes of spiral ganglion neurons (SGN), which show varying degrees of vulnerbility under pathological conditions. It remains unclear how information from these SGNs reassemble among target neurons in the cochlear nucleus (CN) at the auditory nerve (AN) central synapses, and how different synapses change during hearing loss. Combining immunohistochemistry with electrophysiology, we investigated the giant endbulb of Held synapses and their postsynaptic bushy neurons in mice under normal hearing and age-related hearing loss (ARHL). We found that calretinin-expressing and non-calretinin-expressing endbulbs converge at continuously different ratios onto bushy neurons with varying physiological properties. Endbulbs degenerate during ARHL, and the degeneration is more severe in non-calretinin-expressing synapses, which correlates with a gradual decrease in neuronal subpopulation predominantly innervated by these inputs. Our findings suggest that biased AN central synaptopathy and shifted CN neuronal composition underlie reduced auditory input and altered central auditory processing during ARHL.

scholarly journals Noise-induced and age-related hearing loss:  new perspectives and potential therapies

F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 927 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Charles Liberman
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hair Cell ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Auditory Nerve ◽  
Cell Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Hair Cell Loss ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss

The classic view of sensorineural hearing loss has been that the primary damage targets are hair cells and that auditory nerve loss is typically secondary to hair cell degeneration. Recent work has challenged that view. In noise-induced hearing loss, exposures causing only reversible threshold shifts (and no hair cell loss) nevertheless cause permanent loss of >50% of the synaptic connections between hair cells and the auditory nerve. Similarly, in age-related hearing loss, degeneration of cochlear synapses precedes both hair cell loss and threshold elevation. This primary neural degeneration has remained a “hidden hearing loss” for two reasons: 1) the neuronal cell bodies survive for years despite loss of synaptic connection with hair cells, and 2) the degeneration is selective for auditory nerve fibers with high thresholds. Although not required for threshold detection when quiet, these high-threshold fibers are critical for hearing in noisy environments. Research suggests that primary neural degeneration is an important contributor to the perceptual handicap in sensorineural hearing loss, and it may be key to the generation of tinnitus and other associated perceptual anomalies. In cases where the hair cells survive, neurotrophin therapies can elicit neurite outgrowth from surviving auditory neurons and re-establishment of their peripheral synapses; thus, treatments may be on the horizon.

Aging Processes in the Subcortical Auditory System

2018 ◽  
pp. 638-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald M. Caspary ◽  
Daniel A. Llano
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Auditory System ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Superior Olivary Complex ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Medial Geniculate ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Age Related Changes

As arguably the third most common malady of industrialized populations, age-related hearing loss is associated with social isolation and depression in a subset of the population that will approach 25% by 2050. Development of behavioral or pharmacotherapeutic approaches to prevent or delay the onset of age-related hearing loss and mitigate the impact of hearing loss of speech understanding requires a better understanding of age-related changes that occur in the central auditory processor. This chapter critically reviews and discusses changes that occur in the auditory brainstem and thalamus with increased age. It briefly discusses age-related cellular changes that occur de novo within the central auditory system versus deafferentation plasticity and animal models of aging. Subsections discuss the cochlear nucleus, superior olivary complex, inferior colliculus, and the medial geniculate body with an emphasis on age-related changes in neurotransmission and how these changes could underpin the observed loss of precise temporal processing with increased age.

scholarly journals Roles of Key Ion Channels and Transport Proteins in Age-Related Hearing Loss

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 6158
Author(s):  
Parveen Bazard ◽  
Robert D. Frisina ◽  
Alejandro A. Acosta ◽  
Sneha Dasgupta ◽  
Mark A. Bauer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Ion Channels ◽  
Auditory System ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Transport Proteins ◽  
Oval Window ◽  
Cochlear Hair Cells ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss

The auditory system is a fascinating sensory organ that overall, converts sound signals to electrical signals of the nervous system. Initially, sound energy is converted to mechanical energy via amplification processes in the middle ear, followed by transduction of mechanical movements of the oval window into electrochemical signals in the cochlear hair cells, and finally, neural signals travel to the central auditory system, via the auditory division of the 8th cranial nerve. The majority of people above 60 years have some form of age-related hearing loss, also known as presbycusis. However, the biological mechanisms of presbycusis are complex and not yet fully delineated. In the present article, we highlight ion channels and transport proteins, which are integral for the proper functioning of the auditory system, facilitating the diffusion of various ions across auditory structures for signal transduction and processing. Like most other physiological systems, hearing abilities decline with age, hence, it is imperative to fully understand inner ear aging changes, so ion channel functions should be further investigated in the aging cochlea. In this review article, we discuss key various ion channels in the auditory system and how their functions change with age. Understanding the roles of ion channels in auditory processing could enhance the development of potential biotherapies for age-related hearing loss.

scholarly journals Biased auditory nerve central synaptopathy is associated with age‐related hearing loss

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meijian Wang ◽  
Chuangeng Zhang ◽  
Shengyin Lin ◽  
Yong Wang ◽  
Benjamin J. Seicol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Auditory Nerve ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss
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