Spontaneous regeneration and recovery of hearing function of the central auditory pathway in young rats

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 254; no. 3; pp. 173 - 176
• Main Authors: Ito, Juichi, Murata, Miyahiko, Kawaguchi, Saburo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 02.10.1998; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Auditory brain stem response; Auditory Pathways - injuries; Auditory Pathways - physiology; Auditory Perception - physiology; Axonal Transport; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Stem - physiology; Central auditory tract; Cochlea - innervation; Cochlea - physiology; Development. Senescence. Regeneration. Transplantation; Fluorescent dye; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hearing - physiology; Nerve Regeneration; Pons - physiology; Rat; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Regeneration; Time Factors; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase; Wheat Germ Agglutinin-Horseradish Peroxidase Conjugate; Regeneration; Fluorescent dye; Wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase; Rat; Auditory brain stem response; Central auditory tract; Vertebrata; Hearing; Mammalia; Functional recovery; Brain stem; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Auditory pathway; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3940(98)00694-6

Spontaneous regeneration of the auditory pathway after transecton of the ventral cochlear tract of the brain stem to pons was examined in young rats by the anterograde tracing method with wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase. Care was taken to cut the tract as sharply as possible to minimize traumatic injuries. About 59% of the young rats examined showed successful regeneration. Functional recovery of hearing by the regenerated fibers was confirmed by the auditory brain stem response. Thus, the present findings contradict the widely held view that the mammalian central auditory system cannot be restored following damage.