Blockley A, Ogle D, Woodrow C, Montealegre-Z F, Warren B. Physiological changes throughout an insect ear due to age and noise - a longitudinal study.
iScience 2022;
25:104746. [PMID:
36034233 PMCID:
PMC9400085 DOI:
10.1016/j.isci.2022.104746]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Hearing loss is not unique to humans and is experienced by all animals in the face of wild and eclectic differences in ear morphology. Here, we exploited the high throughput and accessible tympanal ear of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria to rigorously quantify changes in the auditory system due to noise exposure and age. In this exploratory study, we analyzed tympanal displacements, morphology of the auditory Müller’s organ and measured activity of the auditory nerve, the transduction current, and electrophysiological properties of individual auditory receptors. This work shows that hearing loss manifests as a complex disorder due to differential effects of age and noise on several processes and cell types within the ear. The “middle-aged deafness” pattern of hearing loss found in locusts mirrors that found for humans exposed to noise early in their life suggesting a fundamental interaction of the use of an auditory system (noise) and its aging.
Locusts routinely exposed to noise follow same pattern of hearing loss as humans
Parts of the auditory system are affected by noise, age, or both noise and age
Hearing loss is a multifaceted disorder caused by defects in distinct ear processes
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