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Ma W, Zhang Y, Li X, Liu S, Gao Y, Yang J, Xu L, Liang H, Ren F, Gao F, Wang Y. High-Frequency Hearing Loss Is Associated With Anxiety and Brain Structural Plasticity in Older Adults. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:821537. [PMID: 35360202 PMCID: PMC8961435 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.821537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a kind of symmetrical and slow sensorineural hearing loss, which is a common condition in older adults. The characteristic of ARHL is hearing loss beginning in the high-frequency region and spreading toward low-frequency with age. Previous studies have linked it to anxiety, suggesting that brain structure may be involved in compensatory plasticity after partial hearing deprivation. However, the neural mechanisms of underlying ARHL-related anxiety remain unclear. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore the interactions among high-frequency hearing loss and anxiety as well as brain structure in older adults. Sixty-seven ARHL patients and 68 normal hearing (NH) controls participated in this study, and the inclusion criterion of ARHL group was four-frequency (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz) pure tone average (PTA) > 25 decibels hearing level of the better hearing ear. All participants performed three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), pure tone audiometry tests, anxiety and depression scales. Our results found gray matter volume (GMV) decreased in 20 brain regions in the ARHL group compared with the NH group, and a positive correlation existed between high-frequency pure tone audiometry (H-PT) and anxiety scores in the ARHL group. Among 20 brain regions, we also found the GMVs of the middle cingulate cortex (MCC), and the hippocampal/parahippocampal (H-P) regions were associated with H-PT and anxiety scores in all participants separately. However, the depressive symptoms indicated no relationship with hearing assessment or GMVs. Our findings revealed that the crucial role of MCC and H-P in a link of anxiety and hearing loss in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Ma
- Department of Otolaryngology, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiao Li
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Siqi Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yuting Gao
- School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Longji Xu
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Hudie Liang
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Fuxin Ren
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Fei Gao
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- *Correspondence: Fei Gao,
| | - Yao Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
- School of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- Yao Wang,
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Evaluation of the whole auditory pathway using high-resolution and functional MRI at 7T parallel-transmit. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0254378. [PMID: 34492032 PMCID: PMC8423236 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The aim of the present study is to show a MR procedure for the evaluation of simultaneous left and right auditory functions with functional MRI, and high-resolution acquisition of anatomical auditory pathway using parallel-transmit (pTx) methods at 7T. Methods The time-efficient MR acquisition included two steps: RF weights were optimized for the regions-of-interest and high-resolution MR images of the inner-ear were acquired for the first 30 min (400 μm-iso resolution) followed by functional MRI acquisitions along the whole auditory pathway during the next 20 minutes. Data was processed with a linear cross-correlation analysis to define frequency preferences for each voxel in the auditory relays. Results Tonotopic maps revealed ordered bilateral frequency gradients in the auditory relays whereas at the level of the cochlear nuclei and superior olivary complexes the frequency gradients were less evident. A 21% increase in transmit-field efficiency was achieved over the left/right inner-ear regions and thus its main structures were clearly discernible using the pTx methods, compared to a single transmit RF coil. Conclusion Using 7T pTx allows a fast (less than 60 min in total) and qualitative evaluation of the simultaneous left and right auditory response along the entire auditory pathway, together with high-resolution anatomical images of the inner-ear. This could be further used for patient examination at 7T.
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Herrmann B, Butler BE. Hearing loss and brain plasticity: the hyperactivity phenomenon. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:2019-2039. [PMID: 34100151 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02313-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Many aging adults experience some form of hearing problems that may arise from auditory peripheral damage. However, it has been increasingly acknowledged that hearing loss is not only a dysfunction of the auditory periphery but also results from changes within the entire auditory system, from periphery to cortex. Damage to the auditory periphery is associated with an increase in neural activity at various stages throughout the auditory pathway. Here, we review neurophysiological evidence of hyperactivity, auditory perceptual difficulties that may result from hyperactivity, and outline open conceptual and methodological questions related to the study of hyperactivity. We suggest that hyperactivity alters all aspects of hearing-including spectral, temporal, spatial hearing-and, in turn, impairs speech comprehension when background sound is present. By focusing on the perceptual consequences of hyperactivity and the potential challenges of investigating hyperactivity in humans, we hope to bring animal and human electrophysiologists closer together to better understand hearing problems in older adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Björn Herrmann
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, ON, M6A 2E1, Canada. .,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Blake E Butler
- Department of Psychology & The Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,National Centre for Audiology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
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Persic D, Thomas ME, Pelekanos V, Ryugo DK, Takesian AE, Krumbholz K, Pyott SJ. Regulation of auditory plasticity during critical periods and following hearing loss. Hear Res 2020; 397:107976. [PMID: 32591097 PMCID: PMC8546402 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2020.107976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Sensory input has profound effects on neuronal organization and sensory maps in the brain. The mechanisms regulating plasticity of the auditory pathway have been revealed by examining the consequences of altered auditory input during both developmental critical periods—when plasticity facilitates the optimization of neural circuits in concert with the external environment—and in adulthood—when hearing loss is linked to the generation of tinnitus. In this review, we summarize research identifying the molecular, cellular, and circuit-level mechanisms regulating neuronal organization and tonotopic map plasticity during developmental critical periods and in adulthood. These mechanisms are shared in both the juvenile and adult brain and along the length of the auditory pathway, where they serve to regulate disinhibitory networks, synaptic structure and function, as well as structural barriers to plasticity. Regulation of plasticity also involves both neuromodulatory circuits, which link plasticity with learning and attention, as well as ascending and descending auditory circuits, which link the auditory cortex and lower structures. Further work identifying the interplay of molecular and cellular mechanisms associating hearing loss-induced plasticity with tinnitus will continue to advance our understanding of this disorder and lead to new approaches to its treatment. During CPs, brain plasticity is enhanced and sensitive to acoustic experience. Enhanced plasticity can be reinstated in the adult brain following hearing loss. Molecular, cellular, and circuit-level mechanisms regulate CP and adult plasticity. Plasticity resulting from hearing loss may contribute to the emergence of tinnitus. Modifying plasticity in the adult brain may offer new treatments for tinnitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dora Persic
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head/Neck Surgery, 9713, GZ, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Maryse E Thomas
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye & Ear and Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head/Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Vassilis Pelekanos
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - David K Ryugo
- Hearing Research, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, 2010, Australia; School of Medical Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia; Department of Otolaryngology, Head, Neck & Skull Base Surgery, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, NSW, 2010, Australia
| | - Anne E Takesian
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye & Ear and Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head/Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katrin Krumbholz
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - Sonja J Pyott
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head/Neck Surgery, 9713, GZ, Groningen, the Netherlands.
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Wolak T, Cieśla K, Pluta A, Włodarczyk E, Biswal B, Skarżyński H. Altered Functional Connectivity in Patients With Sloping Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:284. [PMID: 31507391 PMCID: PMC6713935 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Sensory deprivation, such as hearing loss, has been demonstrated to change the intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) of the brain, as measured with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Patients with sloping sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) are a unique population among the hearing impaired, as they have all been exposed to some auditory input throughout their lifespan and all use spoken language. Materials and Methods Twenty patients with SNHL and 21 control subjects participated in a rs-fMRI study. Whole-brain seed-driven FC maps were obtained, with audiological scores of patients, including hearing loss severity and speech performance, used as covariates. Results Most profound differences in FC were found between patients with prelingual (before language development, PRE) vs. postlingual onset (after language development, POST) of SNHL. An early onset was related to enhancement in long-range network connections, including the default-mode network, the dorsal-attention network and the fronto-parietal network, as well as in local sensory networks, the visual and the sensorimotor. A number of multisensory brain regions in frontal and parietal cortices, as well as the cerebellum, were also more internally connected. We interpret these effects as top-down mechanisms serving optimization of multisensory experience in SNHL with a prelingual onset. At the same time, POST patients showed enhanced FC between the salience network and multisensory parietal areas, as well as with the hippocampus, when they were compared to those with PRE hearing loss. Signal in several cortex regions subserving visual processing was also more intra-correlated in POST vs. PRE patients. This outcome might point to more attention resources directed to multisensory as well as memory experience. Finally, audiological scores correlated with FC in several sensory and high-order brain regions in all patients. Conclusion The results show that a sloping hearing loss is related to altered resting-state brain organization. Effects were shown in attention and cognitive control networks, as well as visual and sensorimotor regions. Specifically, we found that even in a partial hearing deficit (affecting only some of the hearing frequency ranges), the age at the onset affects the brain function differently, pointing to the role of sensitive periods in brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Wolak
- Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Bioimaging Research Center, World Hearing Center, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Cieśla
- Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Bioimaging Research Center, World Hearing Center, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Pluta
- Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Bioimaging Research Center, World Hearing Center, Warsaw, Poland.,Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Elżbieta Włodarczyk
- Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Bioimaging Research Center, World Hearing Center, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Bharat Biswal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Radiology, New Jersey Medical School, NJIT, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Henryk Skarżyński
- Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Bioimaging Research Center, World Hearing Center, Warsaw, Poland
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Ponticorvo S, Manara R, Pfeuffer J, Cappiello A, Cuoco S, Pellecchia MT, Saponiero R, Troisi D, Cassandro C, John M, Scarpa A, Cassandro E, Di Salle F, Esposito F. Cortical pattern of reduced perfusion in hearing loss revealed by ASL-MRI. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:2475-2487. [PMID: 30715769 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Age-related hearing loss (HL) can be related to brain dysfunction or structural damage and may result in cerebral metabolic/perfusion abnormalities. Arterial spin labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows investigating noninvasively brain perfusion changes. Pseudocontinuous ASL and T1-weighted MRI (at 3 T) and neuropsychological testing (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) were performed in 31 HL (age range = 47-77 years, mean age ± SD = 63.4 ± 8.4 years, pure-tone average [PTA] HL > 50 dB) and 28 normal hearing (NH; age range = 48-78 years, mean age ± SD = 59.7 ± 7.4 years) subjects. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and gray matter volume (GMV) were analyzed in the cortical volume to assess perfusion and structural group differences. Two HL subjects showing cognitive impairment were excluded from group comparisons. No significant differences in either global or local atrophy were detected between groups but the HL group exhibited significant regional effects of reduced perfusion within the bilateral primary auditory cortex, with maximal CBF difference (-17.2%) in the right lateral Heschl's gyrus. For the whole sample of HL and NH subjects (n = 59 = 31 HL + 28 NH), the regional CBF was correlated positively to the regional GMV (p = 0.020). In HL subjects (n = 31), the regional CBF was correlated negatively to the audiogram steepness (frequency range: 2-4 kHz, right ear: p = 0.022, left ear: p = 0.015). The observed cortical pattern of perfusion reduction suggests that neuronal metabolism can be related to HL before the recognition of brain structural damage. This also illustrates the potential of ASL-MRI to contribute early functional markers of reduced central processing associated with HL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Ponticorvo
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
| | - Renzo Manara
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
| | - Josef Pfeuffer
- MR Application Development, Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Arianna Cappiello
- Department of Neurosciences and Craniofacial Disorders, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D'Aragona", Salerno, Italy
| | - Sofia Cuoco
- Department of Neurosciences and Craniofacial Disorders, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D'Aragona", Salerno, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Pellecchia
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences and Craniofacial Disorders, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D'Aragona", Salerno, Italy
| | - Renato Saponiero
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D'Aragona", Salerno, Italy
| | - Donato Troisi
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences and Craniofacial Disorders, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D'Aragona", Salerno, Italy
| | - Claudia Cassandro
- Department of Neurosciences and Craniofacial Disorders, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D'Aragona", Salerno, Italy
| | - Marta John
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
| | - Alfonso Scarpa
- Department of Neurosciences and Craniofacial Disorders, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D'Aragona", Salerno, Italy
| | - Ettore Cassandro
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences and Craniofacial Disorders, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D'Aragona", Salerno, Italy
| | - Francesco Di Salle
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy.,Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D'Aragona", Salerno, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Esposito
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy.,Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D'Aragona", Salerno, Italy
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Singh M, Miura P, Renden R. Age-related defects in short-term plasticity are reversed by acetyl-L-carnitine at the mouse calyx of Held. Neurobiol Aging 2018; 67:108-119. [PMID: 29656010 PMCID: PMC5955853 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2017] [Revised: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Hearing acuity and sound localization are affected by aging and may contribute to cognitive dementias. Although loss of sensorineural conduction is well documented to occur with age, little is known regarding short-term synaptic plasticity in central auditory nuclei. Age-related changes in synaptic transmission properties were evaluated at the mouse calyx of Held, a sign-inverting relay synapse in the circuit for sound localization, in juvenile adults (1 month old) and late middle-aged (18-21 months old) mice. Synaptic timing and short-term plasticity were severely disrupted in older mice. Surprisingly, acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR), an anti-inflammatory agent that facilitates mitochondrial function, fully reversed synaptic transmission delays and defects in short-term plasticity in aged mice to reflect transmission similar to that seen in juvenile adults. These findings support ALCAR supplementation as an adjuvant to improve short-term plasticity and potentially central nervous system performance in animals compromised by age and/or neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahendra Singh
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Pedro Miura
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Robert Renden
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, USA.
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