Physiological changes throughout an insect ear due to age and noise - A longitudinal study
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Updated: Aug 30, 2025

Modified Experimental Conditions for Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Mice and Assessment of Hearing Function and Outer Hair Cell Damage
Published on: February 10, 2023
Alix Blockley1, Daisy Ogle1, Charlie Woodrow2
1College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
Abstract:
Hearing loss is not unique to humans and is experienced by all animals in the face of wild and eclectic differences in ear morphology. Here, we exploited the high throughput and accessible tympanal ear of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria to rigorously quantify changes in the auditory system due to noise exposure and age. In this exploratory study, we analyzed tympanal displacements, morphology of the auditory Müller's organ and measured activity of the auditory nerve, the transduction current, and electrophysiological properties of individual auditory receptors. This work shows that hearing loss manifests as a complex disorder due to differential effects of age and noise on several processes and cell types within the ear. The "middle-aged deafness" pattern of hearing loss found in locusts mirrors that found for humans exposed to noise early in their life suggesting a fundamental interaction of the use of an auditory system (noise) and its aging.
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