Neurotrophic Factors in the Inner Ear: Hearing Preservation and Enhancement

The success of cochlear implants depends in large part on the health of the spiral ganglion neurons. In cases where preservation of residual hearing after cochlear implantation is desired, there is also need of preserving hair cells and their synapses. We are using mouse model to determine the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the formation and maintenance of the cochlea and exploring the potential of specific trophic factors as therapeutics for hearing restoration or promotion of organ of Corti preservation after cochlear implantation.

During my presentation I will discuss recent findings on the roles of the neurotrophins and the Neuregulin1-ErbB receptor pathways in neuronal survival and the formation of inner ear synapses; how treatment with Neurotrophin 3 induces inner hair cell synapse regeneration and hearing restoration after noise exposure; how the neurotrophins and organ of Corti supporting promote spiral ganglion survival after hair cell loss; and the impact of inner hair cells synapse density on auditory processing.