Lateral olivocochlear neurons modulate cochlear responses to noise exposure.

ABSTRACT: The sense of hearing originates in the cochlea, which detects sounds across dynamic sensory environments. Like other peripheral organs, the cochlea is subjected to environmental insults, including loud, damage-inducing sounds. In response to internal and external stimuli, the central nervous system directly modulates cochlear function through olivocochlear neurons (OCNs), which are located in the brainstem and innervate the cochlear sensory epithelium. One population of OCNs, the lateral olivocochlear (LOC) neurons, target spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs), the primary sensory neurons of the ear. LOCs alter their transmitter expression for days to weeks in response to noise exposure (NE), suggesting that they could tune SGN excitability over long time periods in response to auditory experienc

SUBMITTER: Sitko AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11789013 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature