Sound-evoked plasticity differentiates tinnitus from non-tinnitus mice
IntroductionTinnitus is the perception of non-meaningful sound in the absence of external stimuli. Although tinnitus behavior in animal models is associated with altered central nervous system activity, it is not currently possible to identify tinnitus using neuronal activity alone. In the mouse inf...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1549163/full |
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| author | Emily M. Fabrizio-Stover Emily M. Fabrizio-Stover Christopher M. Lee Douglas L. Oliver Alice L. Burghard |
| author_facet | Emily M. Fabrizio-Stover Emily M. Fabrizio-Stover Christopher M. Lee Douglas L. Oliver Alice L. Burghard |
| author_sort | Emily M. Fabrizio-Stover |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionTinnitus is the perception of non-meaningful sound in the absence of external stimuli. Although tinnitus behavior in animal models is associated with altered central nervous system activity, it is not currently possible to identify tinnitus using neuronal activity alone. In the mouse inferior colliculus (IC), a subpopulation of neurons demonstrates a sustained increase in spontaneous activity after a long-duration sound (LDS).MethodsHere, we use the “LDS test” to reveal tinnitus-specific differences in sound-evoked plasticity through IC extracellular recordings and the auditory brainstem response (ABRLDS) in CBA/CaJ mice after sound exposure and behavioral tinnitus assessment.ResultsSound-exposed mice showed stronger and shorter tone-evoked responses in the IC compared to unexposed controls, but these differences were not strong predictors of tinnitus. In contrast, in the LDS test, non-tinnitus mice had a significantly stronger suppression in tone-evoked spike rate compared to tinnitus and unexposed control mice. ABR peak amplitudes also revealed robust differences between tinnitus and non-tinnitus mice, with ABR peaks from non-tinnitus mice exhibiting significantly stronger suppression in the LDS test compared to tinnitus and control mice. No significant differences were seen between cohorts in ABR amplitude, latency, wave V:I ratio, wave V:III ratio, I-V intra-peak latency, and I-VI intra-peak latency. We found high-frequency tone stimuli better suited to reveal tinnitus-specific differences for both extracellular IC and ABR recordings.DiscussionWe successfully used the LDS test to demonstrate that tinnitus-specific differences in sound-evoked plasticity can be shown using both multi-unit near-field recordings in the IC and non-invasive far-field recordings, providing a foundation for future electrophysiological research into the causes and treatment of tinnitus. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1662-453X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj-art-1d65b771f42c4151902062411f3676e12025-08-20T02:28:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2025-04-011910.3389/fnins.2025.15491631549163Sound-evoked plasticity differentiates tinnitus from non-tinnitus miceEmily M. Fabrizio-Stover0Emily M. Fabrizio-Stover1Christopher M. Lee2Douglas L. Oliver3Alice L. Burghard4Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United StatesDepartment of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, United StatesDepartment of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, United StatesDepartment of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, United StatesDepartment of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, United StatesIntroductionTinnitus is the perception of non-meaningful sound in the absence of external stimuli. Although tinnitus behavior in animal models is associated with altered central nervous system activity, it is not currently possible to identify tinnitus using neuronal activity alone. In the mouse inferior colliculus (IC), a subpopulation of neurons demonstrates a sustained increase in spontaneous activity after a long-duration sound (LDS).MethodsHere, we use the “LDS test” to reveal tinnitus-specific differences in sound-evoked plasticity through IC extracellular recordings and the auditory brainstem response (ABRLDS) in CBA/CaJ mice after sound exposure and behavioral tinnitus assessment.ResultsSound-exposed mice showed stronger and shorter tone-evoked responses in the IC compared to unexposed controls, but these differences were not strong predictors of tinnitus. In contrast, in the LDS test, non-tinnitus mice had a significantly stronger suppression in tone-evoked spike rate compared to tinnitus and unexposed control mice. ABR peak amplitudes also revealed robust differences between tinnitus and non-tinnitus mice, with ABR peaks from non-tinnitus mice exhibiting significantly stronger suppression in the LDS test compared to tinnitus and control mice. No significant differences were seen between cohorts in ABR amplitude, latency, wave V:I ratio, wave V:III ratio, I-V intra-peak latency, and I-VI intra-peak latency. We found high-frequency tone stimuli better suited to reveal tinnitus-specific differences for both extracellular IC and ABR recordings.DiscussionWe successfully used the LDS test to demonstrate that tinnitus-specific differences in sound-evoked plasticity can be shown using both multi-unit near-field recordings in the IC and non-invasive far-field recordings, providing a foundation for future electrophysiological research into the causes and treatment of tinnitus.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1549163/fulltinnitusinferior colliculusauditory brainstem responsesound-evoked plasticitynoise exposure |
| spellingShingle | Emily M. Fabrizio-Stover Emily M. Fabrizio-Stover Christopher M. Lee Douglas L. Oliver Alice L. Burghard Sound-evoked plasticity differentiates tinnitus from non-tinnitus mice Frontiers in Neuroscience tinnitus inferior colliculus auditory brainstem response sound-evoked plasticity noise exposure |
| title | Sound-evoked plasticity differentiates tinnitus from non-tinnitus mice |
| title_full | Sound-evoked plasticity differentiates tinnitus from non-tinnitus mice |
| title_fullStr | Sound-evoked plasticity differentiates tinnitus from non-tinnitus mice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sound-evoked plasticity differentiates tinnitus from non-tinnitus mice |
| title_short | Sound-evoked plasticity differentiates tinnitus from non-tinnitus mice |
| title_sort | sound evoked plasticity differentiates tinnitus from non tinnitus mice |
| topic | tinnitus inferior colliculus auditory brainstem response sound-evoked plasticity noise exposure |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1549163/full |
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