Age-related hearing loss: is it a preventable condition?
Numerous techniques have been tested to attempt to prevent the onset or progression of age-related hearing loss (ARHL): raising the animals in an augmented acoustic environment (used successfully in mouse and rat models), enhancing the antioxidant defenses with exogenous antioxidant treatments (used with mixed results in mouse and rat models), raising the animals with a calorie restricted diet (used successfully in mouse and rat models), restoring lost endocochlear potential voltage with exogenous electrical stimulation (used successfully in the Mongolian gerbil model), and hypothetical enhancement of outer hair cell electromotility with salicylate therapy. Studies of human ARHL have revealed a set of unique hearing loss configurations with unique underlying pathologies. Animal research has developed models for the different forms of age-related peripheral pathology. Using the animal models, different techniques for prevention of ARHL have been developed and tested. The current review discusses ARHL patterns in humans and animal models, followed by discussions of the different prevention techniques.
Bielefeld
Eric C
EC
Center for Hearing and Deafness, Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, 137 Cary Hall, 3435 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA. ecb2@buffalo.edu
Tanaka
Chiemi
C
Chen
Guang-di
GD
Henderson
Donald
D
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D031204:Caloric Restriction; D003051:Cochlea / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D011304:Presbycusis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051381:Rats; D012459:Salicylates / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000975:Antioxidants; D012459:Salicylates