Perceptual and central auditory consequences of noise-induced hearing loss

描述(申请人提供)：听力损失损害言语知觉和响度知觉，可能对学业成绩、认知和社会功能产生负面影响。听力下降的许多方面，如在复杂的声学背景下听语音，不能仅仅以外周损伤为基础来解释。在这些任务中的表现可能受到神经重组或中枢听觉通路恶化的影响。我们研究计划的长期目标是调查获得性听力损失如何影响听觉系统的突触组织，这些突触变化如何与听力行为变化有关，以及突触异常是否可以恢复或预防。重要的是，我们要调查不同形式的 听力损失对大脑的影响，以了解听力干预后的各种感知缺陷和不可预测的结果。这笔赠款将支持噪声导致听力损伤的小鼠的功能和解剖学研究。老鼠将暴露在历史上被描述为安全的中等噪音和已知会导致永久性听力丧失的中等噪音中。我们将测量在时间加工和响度知觉中的行为变化，并调查耳蜗腹核内特定细胞类型的神经输入的结构和组织的相应变化。这些研究将提供重要的 这些信息有助于了解复杂的听力障碍，并可能对改进听力损失的治疗和噪音创伤预防指南产生影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hearing loss impairs speech perception and loudness perception, which can have negative effects on academic achievement, cognition, and social functioning. Many aspects of deteriorated hearing performance, such as listening to speech in a complex acoustic background, cannot be explained solely on the basis of peripheral damage. Performance on these tasks is likely affected by neural reorganization or deterioration in the central auditory pathway. The long-term goal of our research program is to investigate how acquired hearing loss affects synaptic organization of the auditory system, how these synaptic changes relate to behavioral changes in hearing, and whether or not the synaptic abnormalities can be recovered or prevented. It is important that we investigate the impact of different forms of hearing loss on the brain to understand variable perceptual deficits and unpredictable outcomes after hearing intervention. This grant will support functional and anatomical investigations in mice with noise-induced hearing damage. Mice will be exposed to moderate noise that has been historically characterized as safe and to moderately loud noise known to cause permanent hearing loss. We will measure behavioral changes in temporal processing and loudness perception and investigate the corresponding changes in structure and organization of neural inputs to specific cell types in the ventral cochlear nucleus. These studies will provide important information for understanding complex hearing deficits and may have implications for improving treatment of hearing loss and for noise trauma prevention guidelines.