Effects of hyperbilirubinemia on the hearing and vocal development in Gunn rats

Jaundiced rats do not differ from normal rats in the development of frequency-specific startle responses to sound in spite of the auditory brainstem damage in the affected rats. Jaundiced rats do show a vocal motor abnormality. Behavioral auditory results support the concept of neural involvement in early vocal development; however, the site of involvement in hearing development is still ambiguous.