Protection of the auditory nerve from traumatic stress experimental studies

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

We performed the experimental studies to clarify the Pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for traumatic auditory nerve degeneration and the countermeasures to prevent this pathological process using the rat experimental model that we had established in 2000(Sekiya T, et al. Exp Neurol 161:490-502,2000)The results of these experimental studies disclosed as follows ;1)The temporal pattern of traumatic auditory nerve degeneration was investigated and its relatively rapid progression was revealed ; within one week postcompression, auditory nerve degeneration was completed.2)The second findings that has been disclosed from our studies for the first time was that traumatic auditory nerve degeneration was caused both by necrotic and apoptotic mechanisms. These results are crucial to plan the neuroprotective measures to traumatized auditory nerve.3)We continued to investigate the neuroprotective effectiveness of several pharmacological agents such as steroid, calcium blocker, and basic fibroblast growth factor. We found that they had some effectiveness to ameliorate posttraumatic auditory nerve degeneration but their effects were limited.4)Our future plan to prevent traumatic auditory nerve degeneration and to foster its regeneration after trauma should include neurocelluar transplantation approach using neural stem cells or ES cells.