Developmental timing of auditory deprivation influences spatial memory and hippocampal plasticity in rats.

ABSTRACT: Age-dependent sensory deprivation may differentially affect hippocampal integrity, making it essential to investigate how the timing of exposure influences neurodevelopmental outcomes. This study aimed to examine how peripheral auditory deprivation at various ages impacts cognitive functions in rats. Transcanal cochlear ablation was performed at postnatal days (PND) 14, 21, 28, and 60. At four months of age, spatial learning, memory, neurogenesis, and molecular markers associated with synaptic plasticity were evaluated. Compared to controls, all experimental groups-except those ablated at PND 14-exhibited spatial memory deficits, with the most pronounced impairment observed in animals ablated at PND 28 and 60. Correspondingly, hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity were significa

SUBMITTER: Mirsalehi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12663570 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature