Tonotopic changes in GABA receptor expression in guinea pig inferior colliculus after partial unilateral hearing loss

Immunohistochemistry was used to investigate the topographic distribution of the alpha1 subunit of the GABA receptor (GABRA1) in guinea pig inferior colliculus after treatments that caused a unilateral loss of peripheral neural sensitivity in the high-frequency regions of the cochlea. Both forms of treatment (direct mechanical lesion of the cochlea and acoustic overstimulation) resulted in a significant decrease in GABRA1 labeling in regions of the contralateral inferior colliculus in which high-frequency sound stimuli are represented. This localized region of reduced inhibitory receptor expression corresponds to the region in which hyperactivity of inferior colliculus neurons has been shown to develop after such treatments. The results strengthen the notion of a causal link between reduced GABRA1 expression and neural hyperactivity in central auditory nuclei and provide a possible mechanism for the development of phantom auditory sensations, or tinnitus.