Hyperacusis and Central Gain

描述（由申请人提供）：强噪声暴露和耳毒性药物导致的听力损失大大减少了耳蜗的神经输出。尽管耳蜗输出减少，但中枢听觉通路的神经活动往往在阈值以上强度下变得过度活跃，表明中枢增益增强。中央增益增强被认为是导致听觉亢进的原因，这种情况下，听者会感受到难以忍受的嘈杂甚至痛苦。该项目的目标是：(1)确定增强中枢增益是否对听觉亢进的时间和频谱特征负责；(2)确定声环境（声音富集/剥夺）如何调节听觉亢进/响度增长和中枢增益；(3)确定血清素和GABA激动剂/拮抗剂如何影响听觉亢进和中枢增益。这些研究将增加我们对听觉亢进的神经机制的理解，并测试药物治疗听觉亢进的疗效。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hearing loss from intense noise exposure and ototoxic drugs greatly reduces the neural output of the cochlea. Despite a reduced cochlear output, neural activity in the central auditory pathway often becomes hyperactive at suprathreshold intensities indicative of Enhanced Central Gain. Enhanced Central Gain is believed to be responsible for hyperacusis, a condition in which listeners experience everyday sounds as unbearably loud or even painful. The goals of this project are: (1) Determine if Enhanced Central Gain is responsible for the temporal and spectral features of hyperacusis, (2) Determine how the acoustic environment (sound enrichment/deprivation) modulates hyperacusis/loudness growth and Central Gain and (3) Determine how serotonin and GABA agonists/antagonists affect hyperacusis and Central Gain. The proposed studies will increase our understanding of the neural mechanisms of hyperacusis and test the efficacy of pharmacological agents to treat hyperacusis.