Identification of induced and naturally occurring conductive hearing loss in mice using bone conduction.
While many mouse models of hearing loss have been described, a significant fraction of the genetic defects in these models affect both the inner ear and middle ears. A common method used to separate inner-ear (sensory-neural) from middle-ear (conductive) pathologies in the hearing clinic is the combination of air-conduction and bone-conduction audiometry. In this report, we investigate the use of air- and bone-conducted evoked auditory brainstem responses to perform a similar separation in mice. We describe a technique by which we stimulate the mouse ear both acoustically and via whole-head vibration. We investigate the sensitivity of this technique to conductive hearing loss by introducing middle-ear lesions in normal hearing mice. We also use the technique to investigate the presence of an age-related conductive hearing loss in a common mouse model of presbycusis, the BALB/c mouse.
Army Research Lab, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA. Electronic address: d.chann1@gmail.com.
David
D
Chhan
Eaton-Peabody Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: Melissa_McKinnon@meei.harvard.edu.
Melissa L
ML
McKinnon
Eaton-Peabody Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: john_rosowski@meei.harvard.edu.
John J
JJ
Rosowski
D000054:Acceleration / Q000009:adverse effects; D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001844:Bone Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D046089:Hearing Loss, Mixed Conductive-Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D011304:Presbycusis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013045:Species Specificity
Air conduction; Air-bone gap; Bone conduction; Presbycusis