Cochlear spiral ganglion cell degeneration in wild-caught mice as a function of age

Presbyacusis in humans is an age-related bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment generally associated with degeneration of cochlear hair cells and spiral ganglion cells (SGC) predominantly in the basal turn but present in the apical turn. Investigations of cochleas of aged rats and gerbils reveal a large loss of SGCs in the apical as well as the basal turns. Genetically inbred aged mice, on the other hand, seem to have variable amounts of SGC loss beginning in some strains very early in the life span of the animals and greatest in the basal turn. Three age groups of wild-caught, then laboratory-bred, mice were investigated to determine the pattern of SGC degeneration. In 18-19-month-old animals the main loss of SGCs occurred in the basal turn (49% loss compared to 2-3 months) followed by the apical turn (31%). The greatest SGC losses in the 28-31-month-old animals were in both the apical (76%) and basal turns (74%). Thus, this strain of mice is similar to other rodents in that both ends of the ganglion are affected by SGC degeneration associated with aging.