The pattern of Fos expression in the rat auditory brainstem changes with the temporal structure of binaural electrical intracochlear stimulation.

The pattern of Fos expression in the rat auditory brainstem changes with the temporal structure of binaural electrical intracochlear stimulation. Exp Neurol. 2015 Feb 20; Authors: Jakob TF, Döring U, Illing RB Abstract The immediate-early-gene c-fos with its protein product Fos has been used as a powerful tool to investigate neuronal activity and plasticity following sensory stimulation. Fos combines with Jun, another IEG product, to form the dimeric transcription factor activator protein 1 (AP-1) which has been implied in a variety of cellular functions like neuronal plasticity, apoptosis, and regeneration. The intracellular emergence of Fos indicates a functional state of nerve cells directed towards molecular and morphological changes. The central auditory system is construed to detect stimulus intensity, spectral composition, and binaural balance through neurons organized in a complex network of ascending, descending and commissural pathways. Here we compare monaural and binaural electrical intracochlear stimulation (EIS) in normal hearing and early postnatally deafened rats. Binaural stimulation was done either synchronously or asynchronously. The auditory brainstem of hearing and deaf rats responds differently, with a dramatically increasing Fos expression in the deaf group so as if the network had no pre-orientation for how to organize sensory activity. Binaural EIS does not result in a trivial sum of 2 independent monaural E...
Source: Experimental Neurology - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Exp Neurol Source Type: research