Auditory Neuroscience

The effect of ageing, hearing loss, and tinnitus on white matter in the human auditory system revealed with fixel-based analysis

We identified age- and pathology-induced changes in neural pathways connecting selected regions of the central auditory and limbic systems. Results obtained in 79 volunteers using 3T MRI showed a negative effect of ageing, but not hearing loss or tinnitus, on the cross-sectional area and density of nerve fibres. Our findings demonstrating the plasticity of anatomical connections between the auditory and limbic systems could help to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms of presbycusis.

Publication:

Svobodová, V., Profant, O., Škoch, A., Tintěra, J., Tóthová, D., Chovanec, M., Čapková,
D., Syka, J.: (2024) The effect of aging, hearing loss, and tinnitus on white matter in
the human auditory system revealed with fixel-based analysis. Frontiers in aging
neuroscience 15: 1283660.

The role of GABAB receptors in the subcortical pathways of the mammalian auditory system

We summarise current knowledge on the distribution and function of GABA-B receptors in the cochlea and central auditory pathway. The receptors are involved in processes essential for proper hearing function, such as cochlear amplifier modulation, regulation of spontaneous activity, binaural and temporal information processing, and predictive coding. Conversely, GABA-B dysfunction plays a role in some pathological conditions of the auditory system, including various forms of hearing loss.

Publication:

Tureček R, Melichar A, Králíková M, Hrušková B. (2023) The role of GABAB
receptors in the subcortical pathways of the mammalian auditory system.
Front. Endocrinol. 4:1195038. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1195038.

Important results in 2022

ISL1 is necessary for auditory neuron development and contributes toward tonotopic organization

It was discovered that the transcription factor ISL1 regulates the molecular and cellular features of auditory neurons. In the mutant mice with selective absence of Isl1, spiral ganglion neurons migrate into the central cochlea and the cochlear wiring is profoundly reduced and disrupted. The central axons of Isl1 mutants lose their topographic projections and segregation at the cochlear nucleus. Our findings show that ISL1 is one of the obligatory factors required to sculpt auditory structural and functional tonotopic maps.

Publication:

Filová, I., Pysanenko, K., Tavakoli, M., Vochyanova, S., Dvořáková, M., Bohuslavová, R., Smolík, O., Fabriciová, V., Hrabalová, P., Benešová, Š., Valihrach, L., Černý, J., Yamoah, E.N., Syka, J., Fritzsch, B., Pavlinková, G.: (2022) ISL1 is necessary for auditory neuron development and contributes toward tonotopic organization. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 119(37): e2207433119.

Important results in 2021

Acoustically Enriched Environment during the Critical Period of Postnatal Development
Positively Modulates Gap Detection and Frequency Discrimination Abilities in Adult Rats

We studied the effects of exposure to an enriched acoustic environment (EAE) during postnatal days 14 to 28 on the auditory function of adult rats. Exposed animals exhibited a more pronounced inhibition of the startle response induced by a change in background tone frequency or a pause in background noise. The results showed that EAE during the critical period of development affects the frequency and temporal processing in the auditory system and that these changes persist into adulthood.

Publication:

Pysanenko, K., Rybalko, N., Bureš, Z., Šuta, D., Lindovský, J., Syka, J.: (2021) Acoustically Enriched Environment during the Critical Period of Postnatal Development Positively Modulates Gap Detection and Frequency Discrimination Abilities in Adult Rats. Neural Plasticity. 6611922.