Download PDF
Semin Hear 2001; 22(3): 213-226
DOI: 10.1055/s-2001-15627
Copyright © 2001 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA. Tel.: +1(212) 584-4662

Possible Neurochemical and Neuroanatomical Bases of Age-Related Hearing Loss-Presbycusis

Robert D. Frisina
  • Otolaryngology Division, Surgery, Neurobiology & Anatomy and Biomedical Engineering Departments, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, International Center for Hearing & Speech Research, National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
31 December 2001 (online)

Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

ABSTRACT

Broadly speaking, age-related hearing loss is a consequence of degenerative changes in the ear or brain. Sensitivity changes in the cochlea result from the loss of sensory (hair) cells, degeneration of auditory nerve fibers (eighth cranial nerve), or reductions in the endocochlear potential resulting from atrophy of the stria vascularis and its biochemical processes normally responsible for production of endolymph. These peripheral problems residing in the inner ear are the primary causes for declines in hearing sensitivity, as reflected in the presbycusic audiogram. The other main presenting symptom for elderly listeners is an inability to perceive speech or music in the presence of background noise. This significant handicap of our aged population, in fact the number one communication deficit of our senior generation, is due not only to losses of peripheral sensitivity to sound but also to age-related neural degeneration of the central auditory system. This article gives summary highlights of recent research on uncovering the neural bases of inner ear disorders and pathologies of the central auditory system that accompany normal aging. Implications for how audiologists and otolaryngologists may improve clinical diagnoses and offer novel future treatments are pointed out.

KEYWORD

Calcium-binding proteins - background noise - speech coding - temporal processing - auditory perception

REFERENCES

  • 1 Frisina D R, Frisina R D, Snell K B. Auditory temporal processing during aging. In: Hof PR, Mobbs CV, eds. Functional Neurobiology of Aging San Diego, CA: Academic Press; 2001 0: 565-579
    Google Scholar
  • 2 Frisina R D. Anatomical and neurochemical bases of presbycusis. In: Hof PR, Mobbs CV, eds. Functional Neurobiology of Aging San Diego, CA: Academic Press; 2001 0: 531-547
    Google Scholar
  • 3 Lockwood A H, Salvi R J, Coad M L, Towsley M L, Wack D S, Murphy B W. The functional neuroanatomy of tinnitus: evidence for limbic system links and neural plasticity.  Neurology . 1998;  50 114-120
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Lockwood A H, Salvi R J, Coad M L. The functional anatomy of the normal human auditory system: responses to 0.5 and 4.0 kiloHertz tones at varied intensities.  Cereb Cortex . 1999;  9 65-76
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Willott J F. Aging and the Auditory System: Anatomy, Physiology, and Psychophysics. San Diego, CA: Singular;1991
    Google Scholar
  • 6 Willott J F, Bross L S. Morphology of the octopus cell area of the cochlear nucleus in young and aging C57BL/6J and CBA/J mice.  J Comp Neurol . 1990;  300 61-81
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Willott J F, Bross L S. Morphological changes in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus that accom-pany sensorineural hearing loss in CBA/2J and C57BL/6J mice.  Dev Brain Res . 1996;  91 218-226
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Willott J F, Bross L S, McFadden S L. Morphology of the dorsal cochlear nucleus in C57BL/6J and CBA/J mice across the life span.  J Comp Neurol . 1992;  321 666-678
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Willott J F, Jackson L M, Hunter K P. Morphometric study of the anteroventral cochlear nucleus of two mouse models of presbycusis.  J Comp Neurol . 1987;  260 472-480
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Willott J F, Pankow D, Paris Hunter K, Kordyban M. Projections from the anterior ventral cochlear nucleus to the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus in young and aging C57BL/6 mice.  J Comp Neurol . 1985;  237 545-551
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 McFadden S L, Willott J F. Responses of inferior colliculus neurons in C57BL/6J mice with and without sensorineural hearing loss: effects of changing the azimuthal location of an unmasked pure-tone stimulus.  Hear Res . 1994;  78 115-131
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 McFadden S L, Willott J F. Responses of inferior colliculus neurons in C57BL/6J mice with and without sensorineural hearing loss: effects of changing the azimuthal location of a continuous noise masker on responses to contralateral tones.  Hear Res . 1994;  78 132-148
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Kazee A M, Han L Y, Spongr V P, Walton J P, Salvi R J, Flood D G. Synaptic loss in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus correlates with sensorineural hearing loss in the C57BL/6 mouse model of presbycusis.  Hear Res . 1995;  89 109-120
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Spongr V P, Walton J P, Frisina R D, Kazee A M, Flood D G, Salvi R J. Hair cell loss and synaptic loss in inferior colliculus of C57Bl/6 mice: relationship to abnormal temporal processing. In: Syka J, ed. Acoustical Signal Processing in the Central Auditory System New York, NY: Plenum Press 1997: 535-542
    Google Scholar
  • 15 Kazee A M, West N R. Preservation of synapses on principal cells of the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus with aging in the CBA mouse.  Hear Res . 1999;  133 98-106
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 O'Neill W E, Zettel M L, Whittemore K R, Frisina R D. Calbindin D-28k immunoreactivity in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body declines with age in C57BL/6, but not CBA/CaJ mice.  Hear Res . 1997;  112 158-166
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Schuknecht H F. Further observations on the pathology of presbycusis.  Arch Otolarygol . 1964;  80 369-382
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Schuknecht H F. Pathology of the Ear.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ Press; 1974
    Google Scholar
  • 19 Schuknecht H F. Pathology of the Ear.  Philadelphia, PA: Lea and Febiger; 1993
    Google Scholar
  • 20 Schmiedt R A. Cochlear potentials in gerbils: does the aging cochlea need a jump start?. In: Verrillo RT, ed. Sensory Research: Multimodal Perspectives Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum Associates 1993: 91-103
    Google Scholar
  • 21 Schmiedt R A. Effects of aging on potassium homeostasis and the endocochlear potential in the gerbil cochlea.  Hear Res . 1996;  102 125-132
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Schulte B A, Adams J A. Distribution of immunoreactive Na+,K+-ATPase in gerbil cochlea.  J Histochem Cytochem . 1989;  37 127-134
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Schulte B A, Schmiedt R A. Lateral wall Na, -K-ATPase and endocochlear potentials decline with age in quiet-reared gerbils.  Hear Res . 1992;  61 35-46
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Schmiedt R A, Mills J H, Adams J A. Tuning and suppression in auditory nerve fibers of aged gerbils raised in quiet or noise.  Hear Res . 1990;  45 221-236
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Schuknecht H F, Watanuki K, Takahashi T, Belal A, Kimura R S, Jones D D. Atrophy of the stria vascularis, a common cause for hearing loss.  Laryngoscope . 1974;  84 1777-1821
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 Salthouse T A. Adult Cognition: An Experimental Psychology of Cognitive Aging.  Amsterdam: Springer-Verlag; 1982
    Google Scholar
  • 27 Salthouse T A. Theoretical Perspectives on Cognitive Aging.  Hillsdale, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates; 1991
    Google Scholar
  • 28 Frisina D R, Frisina R D. Speech recognition in noise and presbycusis: relations to possible neural mechanisms.  Hear Res . 1997;  106 95-104
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 29 Bilger R C, Nuetzel J M, Rabinowitz W M, Rzeczkowski C. Standardization of a test of speech perception in noise.  J Speech Hear Res . 1984;  27 32-48
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 30 Snell K B. Age-related changes in temporal gap detection.  J Acoust Soc Am . 1997;  101 2214-2220
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 31 Snell K B, Frisina D R. Relationships among age-related differences in gap detection and word recognition.  J Acoust Soc Am . 2000;  107 1615-1626
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 32 Fitzgibbons P J, Gordon-Salant S. Auditory temporal processing by in elderly listeners.  J Am Acad Audiol . 1996;  7 183-189
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 33 Walton J P, Orlando M, Burkard R F. Auditory brainstem response forward-masking recovery functions in older humans with normal hearing.  Hear Res . 1999;  127 86-94
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 34 Ison J R, Agrawal P, Pak J, Vaughn W J. Changes in temporal acuity with age and with hearing impairment in the mouse: a study of the acoustic startle reflex and its inhibition by brief decrements in noise level.  J Acoust Soc Am . 1998;  104 1696-1704
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 35 Walton J P, Frisina R D, Ison J R, O'Neill W E. Neural correlates of behavioral gap detection in the inferior colliculus of the young CBA mouse.  J Comp Physiol A . 1997;  181 61-176
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 36 Walton J P, Frisina R D, O'Neill W E. Age-related alteration in processing of temporal sound features in the auditory midbrain of the CBA mouse.  J Neurosci . 1998;  18 2764-2776
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 37 Willott J F. Effects of aging, hearing loss, and anatomical location on thresholds of inferior colliculus neurons in C57BL/6 and CBA mice.  J Neurophysiol . 1986;  56 391-408
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 38 Willott J F, Parham K, Paris Hunter K. Response properties of inferior colliculus neurons in young and very old CBA/J mice.  Hear Res . 1988;  37 1-14
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 39 Frisina R D, Walton J P, Lynch-Armour M A, Klotz D. Outputs of a functionally-characterized region of the inferior colliculus of the young adult CBA mouse model of presbycusis.  J Acoust Soc Am . 1997;  101 2741-2753
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 40 Frisina R D, Walton J P, Lynch-Armour M A, Byrd J D. Inputs to a physiologically characterized region of the inferior colliculus of the young adult CBQ mouse.  Hear Res . 1998;  115 61-81
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 41 Zettel M L, Frisina R D, Haider S, O'Neill W E. Age-related changed in calbindin D-28k and calretinin immunoreactivity in the inferior colliculus of CBA/CaJ and C57Bl/6 mice.  J Comp Neurol . 1997;  386 92-110
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 42 Zettel M L, Trang T T, Karcich K J, O'Neill W E, Frisina R D. Lack of activity dependent calretinin upregulation in the IC dorsal cortex of deafened, then aged, CBA mice.  Assoc Res Otolaryngol Abstr, . 2000;  23
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 43 Caspary D M, Milbrandt J C, Helfert R H. Central auditory aging: GABA changes in the inferior colliculus.  Exp Gerontol . 1995;  30 349-360
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 44 Caspary D M, Raza A, Armour B AL, Pippin J, Arneric S P. Immunocytochemical and neurochemical evidence for age-related loss of GABA in the inferior colliculus: implications for neural presbycusis.  J Neurosci . 1990;  10 2363-2372
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 45 Milbrandt J C, Albin R L, Caspary D M. Age-related decrease in GABAb receptor binding in the Fischer 344 rat inferior colliculus.  Neurobiol Aging . 1994;  15 699-703
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 46 Milbrandt J C, Albin R L, Turgeon S M, Caspary D M. GABAa receptor binding the aging rat inferior colliculus.  Neurosci . 1996;  73 449-458
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 47 Helfert R H, Sommer T J, Meeks J, Hofstetter P, Hughes L F. Age-related synaptic changes in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus of Fischer-344 rats.  J Comp Neurol . 1999;  406 285-298
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 48 Milbrandt J C, Hunter C, Caspary D M. Alterations of GABAa receptor subunit mRNA levels in the aging Fischer rat inferior colliculus.  J Comp Neurol . 1997;  379 455-465
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 49 Caspary D M, Holder T M, Hughes L F, Milbrandt J C, McKernan R M, Naritoku D K. Age-related changes in GABAa receptor subunit composition and function in rat auditory system.  Neurosci . 1999;  93 307-312
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar