Loudness perception affected by early age hearing loss.

Tinnitus and hyperacusis, commonly seen in adults, are also reported in children. Although clinical studies found children with tinnitus and hyperacusis often suffered from recurrent otitis media, there is no direct study on how temporary hearing loss in the early age affects the sound loudness perception. In this study, sound loudness changes in rats affected by perforation of the tympanic membranes (TM) have been studied using an operant conditioning based behavioral task.

Hyperexcitability of inferior colliculus neurons caused by acute noise exposure.

Noise exposure is one of the most common causes of hearing loss. Recent studies found that noise exposure-induced cochlear damage may change the excitability and tonotopic organization of the central auditory system (CAS). This plasticity was suspected to be related to tinnitus and hyperacusis.

Early age conductive hearing loss causes audiogenic seizure and hyperacusis behavior.

Recent clinical reports found a high incidence of recurrent otitis media in children suffering hyperacusis, a marked intolerance to an otherwise ordinary environmental sound. However, it is unclear whether the conductive hearing loss caused by otitis media in early age will affect sound tolerance later in life. Thus, we have tested the effects of tympanic membrane (TM) damage at an early age on sound perception development in rats.