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Effects of aging on peripheral and central auditory processing in rats
Margarida Costa1, Franco Lepore1, François Prévost2
1Centre de Recherche en Neuropsychologie et Cognition, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.
The European Journal of Neuroscience
|June 17, 2016
Summary
Aging impairs hearing by degrading the brain's auditory spatial map. Aged rats showed wider receptive fields and lost topographical organization in the superior colliculus, affecting sound localization.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Gerontology
Background:
- Hearing loss is common in the elderly, affecting sound localization and speech perception.
- Age-related changes impact both peripheral hearing and central auditory processing structures.
- The superior colliculus plays a crucial role in auditory spatial mapping.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related changes in auditory directional maps within the superior colliculus.
- To determine how aging affects central auditory processing and spatial hearing abilities.
- To correlate peripheral hearing changes with central auditory map alterations in aged rats.
Main Methods:
- Distortion product of otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) to assess cochlear function.
- Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) to evaluate early central auditory pathway function.
- Extracellular single-unit recordings in the superior colliculus to analyze neuronal receptive fields and map organization.
Main Results:
- Aged rats exhibited decreased DPOAE amplitudes and elevated ABR thresholds, indicating cochlear and brainstem dysfunction.
- Superior colliculus neurons in aged rats showed increased thresholds and wider directional receptive fields.
- The topographical organization of the auditory directional map was abolished in aged rats, with no systematic spatial arrangement of neurons.
Conclusions:
- Age-related hearing loss involves significant dysfunction in central auditory processing, particularly in spatial mapping.
- Deterioration of the auditory directional spatial map in aging is linked to central perceptual stage deficits.
- These findings highlight the impact of aging on the neural basis of sound localization and auditory scene analysis.
