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Age-related changes in auditory function of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)
1Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1975 Willow Drive, Madison, WI, USA. pitorre@facstaff.wisc.edu
Hearing Research
|April 5, 2000
Summary
Aging rhesus monkeys show reduced auditory function. Older monkeys exhibited poorer cochlear and neural responses, indicating age-related hearing decline similar to humans.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Primate Aging Studies
- Gerontology
Background:
- Age-related hearing loss is a significant human health concern.
- Rhesus monkeys provide a valuable model for studying human aging due to physiological similarities.
- Controlled environments minimize confounding lifestyle factors in primate aging research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related changes in auditory function in rhesus monkeys.
- To establish a primate model for understanding human age-related hearing decline.
- To assess both peripheral (cochlear) and central (neural) auditory pathways.
Main Methods:
- Utilized distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) to measure cochlear function.
- Employed auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) and middle latency responses (MLRs) to assess neural function.
- Compared auditory function between a group of younger and a group of older rhesus monkeys.
Main Results:
- Older monkeys demonstrated significantly reduced DPOAEs, indicating impaired cochlear function.
- Auditory brainstem responses revealed smaller peak amplitudes and longer peak latencies in older monkeys.
- Age and reduced DPOAE levels explained approximately 70% of the increased ABR peak IV latency.
Conclusions:
- Aging rhesus monkeys exhibit decreased cochlear and neural auditory function.
- These findings support the use of rhesus monkeys as a model for human age-related hearing loss.
- Auditory pathway changes extend to the brainstem level in aging primates.
