Computational auditory periphery models: The return of the rodent.

Area of Science:

• Auditory Neuroscience
• Computational Biology
• Bioacoustics

Background:

• Animal models are crucial for understanding auditory function and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL).
• Translating findings from animal studies to human hearing requires bridging the gap between species-specific data and human diagnostics.
• Cross-species computational models offer a potential solution for integrating diverse auditory research data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt a human auditory periphery computational model for use in mice and gerbils.
• To create a unified computational framework for cross-species research on SNHL.
• To validate the adapted models against experimental data and assess their ability to simulate pathophysiological alterations.

Main Methods:

• Adapted a 1-D nonlinear cochlear transmission-line (TL) model for mouse and gerbil auditory systems.
• Incorporated species-specific anatomical and physiological parameters (e.g., basilar membrane dimensions, stapes area).
• Calibrated cochlear parameters to match species-specific tuning and compressive growth, validating against experimental data like auditory nerve tuning curves and DPOAEs.

Main Results:

• The adapted models successfully reproduced species-specific auditory nerve (AN) tuning curves and thresholds.
• Simulations captured functional differences in auditory brainstem responses associated with cochlear synaptopathy in mice and gerbils.
• While capturing inter-group differences in outer hair cell (OHC) damage, individual mouse model OHC data did not perfectly match measurements.

Conclusions:

• Biophysically grounded auditory periphery models can be effectively translated across species.
• These cross-species models preserve realistic sound-coding properties and can simulate hearing loss mechanisms.
• The approach aids in interpreting animal data for human hearing hypotheses and enables in silico studies of auditory pathologies.