Physiological basis of noise-induced hearing loss in a tympanal ear

Acoustic overexposure, such as listening to music too loud and too often, results in noise-induced hearing loss. The pathologies of this prevalent sensory disorder begin in the synapses of the primary auditory receptors, their postsynaptic partners and supporting cells. The extent of noise-induced damage, however, is determined by over-stimulation of primary auditory receptors. When over-stimulated, an excessive amount of positive ions flood into the primary auditory receptors, triggering the activation of ion channels and possibly disrupting their ability to encode sound. A systematic characterisation of the electrophysiological function of primary auditory receptors is warranted to understand how noise-exposure impacts on downstream targets, where the pathologies of hearing loss begin. Here, we used the experimentally-accessible locust ear to characterise noise-induced changes in the auditory receptors. Although, we found a decrease in ability of the primary auditory neurons to encode sound, this is probably due to pathologies of their supporting cells.