Thesis
Investigating age-related changes in auditory cortex activity
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2023
- Thesis identifier
- T16846
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 201969006
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- Presbycusis is an age-related hearing loss affecting a significant portion of the ageing population over 65 years old, leading to auditory difficulties and resulting in a decrease in autonomy. Many efforts are being made in the characterization of new therapies, notably employing cochlear implants. This disease affects the peripheral level of the auditory nervous system. However, little is known about how the auditory cortex adapts to this degeneration over time of hearing. The auditory cortex plays a critical role in auditory perception and is susceptible to age-related changes that may contribute to the development and progression of presbycusis. This thesis aims to investigate the effects of aging on the AC computation and its responses to auditory peripheral loss, providing insights into the mechanisms underlying auditory processing and the impact of presbycusis on central auditory function. We investigated neuronal activity in C57BL/6 mice background (“C57”), known as a model of early age-related hearing loss, due to a genetic deficit at the cochlear level, with the F1 hybrid of C57BL/6 and CBA/Ca backgrounds (“Hybrid mice”) that does not exhibit such important hearing loss. We analysed the electrophysiological auditory cortex activity to describe the neural computation along ageing and across cell-types during spontaneous and sound stimuli. Our findings revealed distinct activity patterns in the auditory cortex of Hybrid and C57 mice. From a young age, differences were observed in both spontaneous firing and evoked-response activity, indicating that the reception of sound shapes the functionality of the auditory cortex. Interestingly, these changes were more pronounced in inhibitory cell, suggesting their role in auditory reception and processing and highlighting the impact of presbycusis on these cell types. Furthermore, the relationship between spontaneous and evoked-response activity differed between the two strains, with implications for information processing in the auditory cortex. In addition to the electrophysiological parameters, we investigated the pupil dynamics as a measure of brain state during auditory processing. The analysis of pupil responses provided insights into the modulation of brain states and their influence on auditory perception and processing.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Sakata, Shuzo
- Resource Type
- DOI
Relations
Items
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
PDF of thesis T16846 | 2024-12-10 | Public | Download |