scholarly journals Localized disorganization of the cochlear inner hair cell synaptic region after noise exposure

Biology Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. bio038547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anwen Bullen ◽  
Lucy Anderson ◽  
Warren Bakay ◽  
Andrew Forge
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viacheslav Vasilkov ◽  
Sarah Verhulst

AbstractDamage to the auditory periphery is more widespread than predicted by the gold-standard clinical audiogram. Noise exposure, ototoxicity and aging can destroy cochlear inner-hair-cell afferent synapses and result in a degraded subcortical representation of sound while leaving hearing thresholds unaffected. Damaged afferent synapses, i.e. cochlear synaptopathy, can be quantified using histology, but a differential diagnosis in living humans is difficult: histology cannot be applied and existing auditory evoked potential (AEP) metrics for synaptopathy become insensitive when other sensorineural hearing impairments co-exist (e.g., outer-hair-cell damage associated with elevated hearing thresholds). To develop a non-invasive diagnostic method which quantifies synaptopathy in humans and animals with normal or elevated hearing thresholds, we employ a computational model approach in combination with human AEP and psychoacoustics. We propose the use of a sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) map which comprises two relative AEP-based metrics to quantify the respective degrees of synaptopathy and OHC damage and evaluate to which degree our predictions of AEP alterations can explain individual data-points in recorded SNHL maps from male and female listeners with normal or elevated audiometric thresholds. We conclude that SNHL maps can offer a more precise diagnostic tool than existing AEP methods for individual assessment of the synaptopathy and OHC-damage aspect of sensorineural hearing loss.Significance StatementHearing loss ranks fourth in global causes for disability and risk factors include noise exposure, ototoxicity and aging. The most vulnerable parts of the cochlea are the inner-hair-cell afferent synapses and their damage (cochlear synaptopathy) results in a degraded subcortical representation of sound. While synaptopathy can be estimated reliably using histology, it cannot be quantified this way in living humans. Secondly, other co-existing sensorineural hearing deficits (e.g., outer-hair-cell damage) can complicate a differential diagnosis. To quantify synaptopathy in humans and animals with normal or elevated hearing thresholds, we adopt a theoretical and interdisciplinary approach. Sensitive diagnostic metrics for synaptopathy are crucial to assess its prevalence in humans, study its impact on sound perception and yield effective hearing restoration strategies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-Bo Zhao ◽  
Yan Zhu ◽  
Li-Man Liu

AbstractInner hair cell (IHC) ribbon synapses are the first synapse in the auditory system and can be degenerated by noise and aging, thereby leading to hidden hearing loss (HHL) and other hearing disorders. However, the mechanism underlying this cochlear synaptopathy remains unclear. Here, we report that elevation of extracellular K+, which is a consequence of noise exposure, could cause IHC ribbon synapse degeneration and swelling. Like intensity dependence in noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy, the K+-induced degeneration was dose-dependent, and could be attenuated by BK channel blockers. However, application of glutamate receptor (GluR) agonists caused ribbon swelling but not degeneration. In addition, consistent with synaptopathy in HHL, both K+ and noise exposure only caused IHC but not outer hair cell ribbon synapse degeneration. These data reveal that K+ excitotoxicity can degenerate IHC ribbon synapses in HHL, and suggest that BK channel may be a potential target for prevention and treatment of HHL.


Author(s):  
Hongchao Liu ◽  
Hu Peng ◽  
Longhao Wang ◽  
Pengcheng Xu ◽  
Zhaoyan Wang ◽  
...  

Noise exposure of a short period at a moderate level can produce permanent cochlear synaptopathy without seeing lasting changes in audiometric threshold. However, due to the species differences in inner hair cell (IHC) calcium current that we have recently discovered, the susceptibility to noise exposure may vary, thereby impact outcomes of noise exposure. In this study, we investigate the consequences of noise exposure in the two commonly used animal models in hearing research, CBA/CaJ (CBA) and C57BL/6J (B6) mice, focusing on the functional changes of cochlear IHCs. In the CBA mice, moderate noise exposure resulted in a typical fully recovered audiometric threshold but a reduced wave I amplitude of auditory brainstem responses. In contrast, both auditory brainstem response threshold and wave I amplitude fully recovered in B6 mice at 2 weeks after noise exposure. Confocal microscopy observations found that ribbon synapses of IHCs recovered in B6 mice but not in CBA mice. To further characterize the molecular mechanism underlying these different phenotypes in synaptopathy, we compared the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 with the expression of cytochrome-C and found increased activity in CBA mice after noise exposure. Under whole-cell patch clamped IHCs, we acquired two-photon calcium imaging around the active zone to evaluate the Ca2+ clearance rate and found that CBA mice have a slower calcium clearance rate. Our results indicated that excessive accumulation of calcium due to acoustic overexposure and slow clearance around the presynaptic ribbon might lead to disruption of calcium homeostasis, followed by mitochondrial dysfunction of IHCs that cause susceptibility of noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy in CBA mice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Minfei Qian ◽  
Qixuan Wang ◽  
Zhongying Wang ◽  
Qingping Ma ◽  
Xueling Wang ◽  
...  

It is widely accepted that even a single acute noise exposure at moderate intensity that induces temporary threshold shift (TTS) can result in permanent loss of ribbon synapses between inner hair cells and afferents. However, effects of repeated or chronic noise exposures on the cochlear synapses especially medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent synapses remain elusive. Based on a weeklong repeated exposure model of bandwidth noise over 2-20 kHz for 2 hours at seven intensities (88 to 106 dB SPL with 3 dB increment per gradient) on C57BL/6J mice, we attempted to explore the dose-response mechanism of prolonged noise-induced audiological dysfunction and cochlear synaptic degeneration. In our results, mice repeatedly exposed to relatively low-intensity noise (88, 91, and 94 dB SPL) showed few changes on auditory brainstem response (ABR), ribbon synapses, or MOC efferent synapses. Notably, repeated moderate-intensity noise exposures (97 and 100 dB SPL) not only caused hearing threshold shifts and the inner hair cell ribbon synaptopathy but also impaired MOC efferent synapses, which might contribute to complex patterns of damages on cochlear function and morphology. However, repeated high-intensity (103 and 106 dB SPL) noise exposures induced PTSs mainly accompanied by damages on cochlear amplifier function of outer hair cells and the inner hair cell ribbon synaptopathy, rather than the MOC efferent synaptic degeneration. Moreover, we observed a frequency-dependent vulnerability of the repeated acoustic trauma-induced cochlear synaptic degeneration. This study provides a sight into the hypothesis that noise-induced cochlear synaptic degeneration involves both afferent (ribbon synapses) and efferent (MOC terminals) pathology. The pattern of dose-dependent pathological changes induced by repeated noise exposure at various intensities provides a possible explanation for the complicated cochlear synaptic degeneration in humans. The underlying mechanisms remain to be studied in the future.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-Bo Zhao ◽  
Yan Zhu ◽  
Li-Man Liu

AbstractInner hair cell (IHC) ribbon synapses are the first synapse in the auditory system and can be degenerated by noise and aging, thereby leading to hidden hearing loss (HHL) and other hearing disorders. However, the mechanism underlying this cochlear synaptopathy remains unclear. Here, we report that elevation of extracellular K+, which is a consequence of noise exposure, could cause IHC ribbon synapse degeneration and swelling. Like intensity dependence in noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy, the K+-induced degeneration was dose-dependent, and could be attenuated by BK channel blockers. However, application of glutamate receptor (GluR) agonists caused ribbon swelling but not degeneration. In addition, consistent with synaptopathy in HHL, both K+ and noise exposure only caused IHC but not outer hair cell ribbon synapse degeneration. These data reveal that K+ excitotoxicity can degenerate IHC ribbon synapses in HHL, and suggest that BK channel may be a potential target for prevention and treatment of HHL.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 1216-1224
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Forouzanfar ◽  
Samira Asgharzade

Noise exposure (NE) has been recognized as one of the causes of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), which can bring about irreversible damage to sensory hair cells in the cochlea, through the launch of oxidative stress pathways and inflammation. Accordingly, determining the molecular mechanism involved in regulating hair cell apoptosis via NE is essential to prevent hair cell damage. However, the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the degeneration of sensory cells of the cochlea during NE has not been so far uncovered. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to demonstrate the regulatory role of miRNAs in the oxidative stress pathway and inflammation induced by NE. In this respect, articles related to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), oxidative stress, inflammation, and miRNA from various databases of Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Google Scholar, PubMed; Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA), and Web of Science were searched and retrieved. The findings revealed that several studies had suggested that up-regulation of miR-1229-5p, miR-451a, 185-5p, 186 and down-regulation of miRNA-96/182/183 and miR-30b were involved in oxidative stress and inflammation which could be used as biomarkers for NIHL. There was also a close relationship between NIHL and miRNAs, but further research is required to prove a causal association between miRNA alterations and NE, and also to determine miRNAs as biomarkers indicating responses to NE.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 443
Author(s):  
Hyunjun Woo ◽  
Min-Kyung Kim ◽  
Sohyeon Park ◽  
Seung-Hee Han ◽  
Hyeon-Cheol Shin ◽  
...  

One of the well-known causes of hearing loss is noise. Approximately 31.1% of Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 years (61.1 million people) have high-frequency hearing loss associated with noise exposure. In addition, recurrent noise exposure can accelerate age-related hearing loss. Phlorofucofuroeckol A (PFF-A) and dieckol, polyphenols extracted from the brown alga Ecklonia cava, are potent antioxidant agents. In this study, we investigated the effect of PFF-A and dieckol on the consequences of noise exposure in mice. In 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay, dieckol and PFF-A both showed significant radical-scavenging activity. The mice were exposed to 115 dB SPL of noise one single time for 2 h. Auditory brainstem response(ABR) threshold shifts 4 h after 4 kHz noise exposure in mice that received dieckol were significantly lower than those in the saline with noise group. The high-PFF-A group showed a lower threshold shift at click and 16 kHz 1 day after noise exposure than the control group. The high-PFF-A group also showed higher hair cell survival than in the control at 3 days after exposure in the apical turn. These results suggest that noise-induced hair cell damage in cochlear and the ABR threshold shift can be alleviated by dieckol and PFF-A in the mouse. Derivatives of these compounds may be applied to individuals who are inevitably exposed to noise, contributing to the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss with a low probability of adverse effects.


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