Project description:Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most prevalent sensory deficit in the elderly. This progressive hearing impairment leads to social isolation and is also associated with comorbidities, such as frailty, falls, and late-onset depression. Moreover, there is a growing evidence linking it with cognitive decline and increased risk of dementia. Given the large social and welfare burden that results from ARHL, and because ARHL is potentially a modifiable risk factor for dementia, there is an urgent need for therapeutic interventions to ameliorate age-related auditory decline. However, a prerequisite for design of therapies is knowledge of the underlying molecular mechanisms. Currently, our understanding of ARHL is very limited. Here, we review recent findings from research into ARHL from both human and animal studies and discuss future prospects for advances in our understanding of genetic susceptibility, pathology, and potential therapeutic approaches in ARHL.
Project description:Age-related hearing loss (AHL) is the progressive loss of auditory function with aging. The DBA/2J (DBA) mice have been used as a model of AHL and undergoes progressive, age-related hearing loss by 12 weeks of age. Here we analyzed cochlear gene expression of 7-week-old and 36-week-old DBA mice using microarrays. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) analysis confrimed that severe age-related hearing loss occured in 36-week-old mice, whereas moderate hearing loss occured in 7-week-old mice. Comprehensive gene expression analysis identified genes correlated with AHL and revealeed that 15 mitochondrial process categories, including â??mitochondrial electron transport chainâ??, â??oxidative phosphorylationâ??, â??respiratory chain complex Iâ??, â??respiratory chain complex IVâ??, and â??respiratory chain complex Vâ??, were statistically associated with AHL-correlated genes in the cochlea of 36-week-old DBA mice, and that 25 genes encoding components of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (respiratory chain complex I, IV, and V) were significantly down-regulated in the cochlea. These observations provide evidence that AHL is associated with down-regulation of genes involved in the mitochondrial respiratory chain in the cochlea of DBA mice, and suggest that mitochondrial respiratory chain dysfunction may be a key feature of AHL in mammalian cochlea. Experiment Overall Design: To determine the effects of age-related hearing loss, each 7-week-old sample (n = 3) was compared to each 36-week-old sample (n = 3), generating a total of nine pairwise comparisons. Using DAVIS and EASE, the identified genes were assign to â??GO: Biological Processâ?? categories of Gene Ontology Consortium. Furthermore, we used EASE to determine the total number of genes that were assigned to each biological process category, and to perform Fisher exact test. Quality control measures were not used. No replicates were done. Dye swap was not used.
Project description:Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 2 participates in the TCA cycle and catalyzes the conversion of isocitrate to α-ketoglutarate and NADP+ to NADPH. In the mitochondria, IDH2 also plays a key role in protecting mitochondrial components from oxidative stress by supplying NADPH to both glutathione reductase (GSR) and thioredoxin reductase 2 (TXNRD2). Here, we report that loss of Idh2 accelerates age-related hearing loss, the most common form of hearing impairment, in male mice. This was accompanied by increased oxidative DNA damage, increased apoptotic cell death, and profound loss of spiral ganglion neurons and hair cells in the cochlea of 24-month-old Idh2-/- mice. In young male mice, loss of Idh2 resulted in decreased NADPH redox state and decreased activity of TXNRD2 in the mitochondria of the inner ear. In HEI-OC1 mouse inner ear cell lines, knockdown of Idh2 resulted in a decline in cell viability and mitochondrial oxygen consumption. This was accompanied by decreased NADPH redox state and decreased activity of TXNRD2 in the mitochondria of the HEI-OC1 cells. Therefore, IDH2 functions as the principal source of NADPH for the mitochondrial thioredoxin antioxidant defense and plays an essential role in protecting hair cells and neurons against oxidative stress in the cochlea of male mice.
Project description:Hearing aids are the primary tool in non-medical rehabilitation for individuals with hearing loss. While the costs of the electronic components have reduced substantially, the cost of a hearing aid has risen steadily to the point that it has become unaffordable for the majority of the population with Age-Related Hearing Loss (ARHL) especially for those residing in low- and middle-income countries. Here, we present an ultra-low-cost, affordable and accessible hearing aid device ('LoCHAid'), specifically targeted towards treating ARHL in elderly patients. The LoCHAid components cost 98 cents (< $1) when purchased in bulk for 10,000 units and can be personalized for each user through a 3D-printable case. It is designed to be an over-the-counter (OTC) self-serviceable solution for elderly individuals with ARHL. Electroacoustic measurements show that the device meets most of the targets set out by the WHO Preferred Product Profile and Consumer Technology Association for hearing aids. The frequency response of the hearing aid shows selectable gain in the range of 4-8 kHz, and mild to moderate gain between 200-1000 Hz, and shows very limited total distortion (1%). Simulated gain measurements show that the LoCHAid is well fitted to a range of ARHL profiles for males and females between the ages of 60-79 years. Overall, the measurements show that the device offers the potential to benefit individuals with ARHL. Thus, our proposed design has the potential to address the challenge of affordable and accessible hearing technology for hearing impaired elderly individuals especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Project description:Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most common sensory impairment in the elderly affecting millions of people worldwide. To shed light on the genetics of ARHL, a large cohort of 464 Italian patients has been deeply analyzed at clinical and molecular level.
A missense variant in SLC9A3R1 has been identified in two unrelated ARHL patients. A knock-in zebrafish model confirmed the pathogenic effect of the variant.
Project description:Although lead has been associated with hearing loss in occupational settings and in children, little epidemiologic research has been conducted on the impact of cumulative lead exposure on age-related hearing loss in the general population. We determined whether bone lead levels, a marker of cumulative lead exposure, are associated with decreased hearing ability in 448 men from the Normative Aging Study, seen between 1962 and 1996 (2264 total observations). Air conduction hearing thresholds were measured at 0.25-8 kHz and pure-tone averages (PTA) (mean of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz) were computed. Tibia and patella lead levels were measured using K X-ray fluorescence between 1991 and 1996. In cross-sectional analyses, after adjusting for potential confounders including occupational noise, patella lead levels were significantly associated with poorer hearing thresholds at 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 kHz and PTA. The odds of hearing loss significantly increased with patella lead levels. We also found significant positive associations between tibia lead and the rate change in hearing thresholds at 1, 2, and 8 kHz and PTA in longitudinal analyses. Our results suggest that chronic low-level lead exposure may be an important risk factor for age-related hearing loss and reduction of lead exposure could help prevent or delay development of age-related hearing loss.
Project description:Despite the fact that manganese (Mn) is known to be a neurotoxic element relevant to age-related disorders, the risk of oral exposure to Mn for age-related hearing loss remains unclear. In this study, we orally exposed wild-type young adult mice to Mn (Mn-exposed WT-mice) at 1.65 and 16.50 mg/L for 4 weeks. Mn-exposed WT-mice showed acceleration of age-related hearing loss. Mn-exposed WT-mice had neurodegeneration of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) with increased number of lipofuscin granules. Mn-exposed WT-mice also had increased hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (Hif-1α) protein with less hydroxylation at proline 564 and decreased c-Ret protein in SGNs. Mn-mediated acceleration of age-related hearing loss involving neurodegeneration of SGNs was rescued in RET-transgenic mice carrying constitutively activated RET. Thus, oral exposure to Mn accelerates age-related hearing loss in mice with Ret-mediated neurodegeneration of SGNs.
Project description:Age-related hearing loss (AHL) is the progressive loss of auditory function with aging. The DBA/2J (DBA) mice have been used as a model of AHL and undergoes progressive, age-related hearing loss by 12 weeks of age. Here we analyzed cochlear gene expression of 7-week-old and 36-week-old DBA mice using microarrays. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) analysis confrimed that severe age-related hearing loss occured in 36-week-old mice, whereas moderate hearing loss occured in 7-week-old mice. Comprehensive gene expression analysis identified genes correlated with AHL and revealeed that 15 mitochondrial process categories, including “mitochondrial electron transport chain”, “oxidative phosphorylation”, “respiratory chain complex I”, “respiratory chain complex IV”, and “respiratory chain complex V”, were statistically associated with AHL-correlated genes in the cochlea of 36-week-old DBA mice, and that 25 genes encoding components of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (respiratory chain complex I, IV, and V) were significantly down-regulated in the cochlea. These observations provide evidence that AHL is associated with down-regulation of genes involved in the mitochondrial respiratory chain in the cochlea of DBA mice, and suggest that mitochondrial respiratory chain dysfunction may be a key feature of AHL in mammalian cochlea. Keywords: Disease state analysis, Time course analysis