The inferior colliculus (IC), a midbrain hub for integration of auditory information, receives dense cholinergic input that could modulate nearly all aspects of hearing. A key step in understanding cholinergic modulation is to identify the source(s) and termination patterns of cholinergic input. These issues have not been addressed for the IC in mice, an increasingly important model for study of hearing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present study investigated the impact of manipulating reading strategies (i.e., reading the questions first [QF] or reading the passage first [PF]) during a reading comprehension test where we explored how reading strategy was related to student characteristics (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPresbycusis is one of the most prevalent disabilities in aged populations of industrialized countries. As we age less excitation reaches the central auditory system from the periphery. To compensate, the central auditory system [e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEncoding sounds with a high degree of temporal precision is an essential task for the inferior colliculus (IC) to perform and maintain the accurate processing of sounds and speech. However, the age-related reduction of GABAergic neurotransmission in the IC interrupts temporal precision and likely contributes to presbycusis. As presbycusis often manifests at high or low frequencies specifically, we sought to determine if the expression of mRNA for glutamic decarboxylase 1 (GAD1) is downregulated non-uniformly across the tonotopic axis or cell size range in the aging IC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Disruptions to the balance of excitation and inhibition in the inferior colliculus (IC) occur during aging and underlie various aspects of hearing loss. Specifically, the age-related alteration to GABAergic neurotransmission in the IC likely contributes to the poorer temporal precision characteristic of presbycusis. Perineuronal nets (PNs), a specialized form of the extracellular matrix, maintain excitatory/inhibitory synaptic environments and reduce structural plasticity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF