Age-related structural and functional changes in the cochlear nucleus
Age-related structural and functional changes in the cochlear nucleus
复制标题
DOI：
10.1016/j.heares.2006.02.003
复制
发表时间：
2006-06-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.8
通讯作者：
Walton, Joseph P.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Frisina, Robert D.;Walton, Joseph P.
老年性耳聋——与年龄相关的听力损失——是老年人口的一种重要的沟通障碍和慢性疾病。耳蜗核是内耳听觉部分投射的主要部位。相对于周围和中枢听觉系统的其他水平，对耳蜗核与年龄相关变化的研究相对较少。神经生理学研究表明，甘氨酸介导的抑制作用下降，这反映在老年动物的耳蜗核神经元相对于年轻动物的放电率增加。耳蜗核中甘氨酸抑制的生化研究与影响复杂声音处理的抑制性神经递质系统的功能老化衰退一致。耳蜗核神经元及其输出通路的解剖学减少可能是由于大脑的衰老变化，以及耳蜗核的年龄依赖性可塑性，以响应与年龄相关的耳蜗输入（尤其是来自基底高频区域的输入）的损失。未来旨在减轻随年龄增长而出现的听力损失的新型预防性和治疗性生物医学干预措施可能会源于我们对其神经和分子基础的认识和理解的增加。如果这种感觉缺陷存在于包括耳蜗核在内的中枢听觉系统中，未来的神经疗法将能够改善老年人的听力。 (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. 保留所有权利。
Presbycusis - age-related hearing loss - is a key communication disorder and chronic medical condition of our aged population. The cochlear nucleus is the major site of projections from the auditory portion of the inner ear. Relative to other levels of the peripheral and central auditory systems, relatively few studies have been conducted examining age-related changes in the cochlear nucleus. The neurophysiological investigations suggest declines in glycine-mediated inhibition, reflected in increased firing rates in cochlear nucleus neurons from old animals relative to young adults. Biochemical investigations of glycine inhibition in the cochlear nucleus are consistent with the functional aging declines of this inhibitory neurotransmitter system that affect complex sound processing. Anatomical reductions in neurons of the cochlear nucleus and their output pathways can occur due to aging changes in the brain, as well as due to age-dependent plasticity of the cochlear nucleus in response to the age-related loss of inputs from the cochlea, particularly from the basal, high-frequency regions. Novel preventative and curative biomedical interventions in the future aimed at alleviating the hearing loss that comes with age, will likely emanate from increasing our knowledge and understanding of its neural and molecular bases. To the extent that this sensory deficit resides in the central auditory system, including the cochlear nucleus, future neural therapies will be able to improve hearing in the elderly. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.