Otoprotective effects of ethosuximide in NOD/LtJ mice with age-related hearing loss.

Despite long-term efforts to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for age-related hearing loss (AHL), there is currently no available treatment strategy able to provide a cure. Apoptotic cell death, including that of hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in the cochlea has been proposed to be the classic theory behind the development of AHL. As calcium signaling plays key roles in signal transduction in apoptosis, in this study, we selected ethosuximide, which is able to block T-type calcium (Ca2+ion) channels, suppressing Ca2+.