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Biomedical subjects

E Borg

Publications and source records attributed to E Borg.

172 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Cochlear blood flow in noise-damaged ears.

Cochlear blood flow was measured in rats with a known noise-induced hearing loss, using the microsphere technique. The animals were exposed to simulated industrial noise for 3 months. The rats were divided into four groups: young and old; normotensive (N) and spontaneously hypertensive (SH). The mean values of the cochlear blood flows were compared with those of rats from matched groups not exposed to noise. The mean cochlear blood flow in the noise-exposed groups was lower than in the non-exposed groups. The decrease in cochlear blood flow was significant for all groups except young SH rats and was more pronounced in the older age group. Cochleas from the groups of old N and SH rats were investigated in the scanning electron microscope. Extensive changes were far more common in SH than in N rats.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of interaction between noise and toluene on auditory function in the rat.

Rats were exposed to toluene (1000 ppm, 16 h/d, 5 d/w, 2 w), or noise (100 dB Leq, 10 h/d, 7 d/w, 4 w) or toluene followed by noise. Auditory function was tested by brainstem audiometry using a 1/3 octave filtered sine wave stimulus at the frequencies 1.6, 3.15, 6.3, 12.5 and 20.0 kHz. A high-frequency auditory impairment was observed after exposure to toluene alone and noise alone. A slight recovery was recorded 1 and 6 months after the toluene exposure. Toluene followed by noise resulted in a higher threshold at all frequencies. A slight recovery was recorded 6 months post-exposure. The threshold shift exceeded the summated loss caused by toluene alone and by noise alone, particularly at 3.15 and 6.3 kHz. The latencies varied only slightly. The results indicate that the major cause of the auditory impairment was cochlear damage and that only minor injury was caused to the auditory pathways.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The influence of prenatal gamma irradiation on the ageing of the cochlea.

Pregnant CBA/Ca mice were subjected to whole-body irradiation on the 12th, 13th or 16th day of gestation with 0.5, 1 or 2 Gy, respectively. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds in the offspring at one month of age were significantly elevated. The irradiated mice were raised to an age of between 25 and 36 months. Before the animals were killed, the ABR thresholds were again determined and compared with those in age-matched controls. The most pronounced ABR threshold loss at a high age occurred in those animals irradiated on gestation day 12. There was a significant (up to p less than 0.001) potentiation of the age-related loss of ABR threshold in the old irradiated mice. In the scanning electron microscope, both inner and outer hair cells were missing in large numbers in exposed animals, irrespective of irradiation dose. Remaining hair cells and also the pillar cells showed signs of degeneration. In particular, damage observed in the mid-cochlear region was significantly more pronounced in the old irradiated mice than in the old control mice. It is concluded 1) that elevation of ABR thresholds in ageing irradiated animals is due to damage to cells and nerve endings in the peripheral receptor organ, and 2) that prenatal irradiation significantly potentiates age-related hearing loss. Exposure to gamma rays seems to function as a sensitizer causing premature ageing.

Aging↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sequence of exposure to noise and toluene can determine loss of auditory sensitivity in the rat.

Rats were exposed to noise (100 dB Leq, 10 h/d, 7 d/w, 4 w), or to toluene (1,000 ppm, 16 h/d, 7 d/w, 2 w), or to noise followed by toluene. Auditory sensitivity was tested before exposure, and 1 to 4 weeks after exposure, by brainstem audiometry using a 1/3-octave filtered sine wave stimulus at the frequencies 1.6, 3.15, 6.3, 12.5 and 20.0 kHz. Some auditory impairment was observed after all exposures. The sensitivity loss after exposure to noise followed by toluene was greater than that recorded after exposure to noise alone or toluene alone, but did not exceed the summated loss caused by noise alone and toluene alone at any frequency. This result contrasts with the earlier reported effect of the same exposures in the reversed order. It is concluded that the exposure sequence can determine the extent of auditory impairment.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The intra-aural muscle reflex in retrocochlear pathology: a model study in the rabbit.

An animal model for the evaluation of the acoustic stapedius reflex is described. The intra-aural muscle reflex in the rabbit can be recorded with a technique identical to that used in man. The validity and reproducibility of the measurements are good. Lesions in the reflex pathway were shown to be followed by changes in reflex properties. The type of alteration depended on the location of the damage. Lesions in the dorsal cochlear nucleus were not followed by reflex changes. Lesions in the ventral cochlear nucleus and/or the eighth nerve were followed by a rise of reflex threshold and often, but not always, by reflex decay. Lesions in the midline of the trapezoid body were followed by specific changes in the crossed reflex, whereas the ipsilateral reflex was unaffected. The advantage of making simultaneous ipsilateral and contraleral reflex recordings was pointed out.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
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Influence of age on noise-induced permanent threshold shifts in CBA/Ca and C57BL/6J mice.

Two inbred strains of mice, CBA/Ca (showing a moderate hearing loss with onset late in life) and C57BL/6J (undergoing spontaneous auditory degeneration with onset during young adulthood), were exposed to a broad-band noise of 120 dB SPL (2-7 kHz) for 5 min at 1,2,3,6 or 12 (only for CBA) months of age. Permanent threshold shifts (PTS) were determined by recording auditory brainstem response (ABR) 1 month after exposure. C57 mice were more severely affected by acoustic trauma than age-matched CBA mice. With increasing age, susceptibility to PTS decreased in CBA mice but remained constant in C57 mice. Results indicate that the auditory system of CBA mice undergoes a progressive resistance to noise damage, whereas the persistent high susceptibility to acoustic trauma in C57 mice may be related to their genetic predisposition to rapid auditory degeneration.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Vibratory-coded directional analysis: evaluation of a three-microphone/four-vibrator DSP system.

A sound localization aid based on eyeglasses with three microphones and four vibrators was tested in a sound-treated acoustic test room and in an ordinary office. A digital signal-processing algorithm provided a determination of the source angle, which was transformed into eight vibrator codes each corresponding to a 45 degrees sector. The instrument was tested on nine deaf and three deaf-blind individuals. The results show an average hit rate of about 80% in a sound-treated room with 100% for the front 135 degrees sector. The results in a realistic communication situation in an ordinary office room were 70% correct based on single presentations and 95% correct when more realistic criteria for an adequate reaction were used. Ten of the twelve subjects were interested in participating in field tests using a planned miniaturized version.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A three-microphone system for real-time directional analysis: toward a device for environmental monitoring in deaf-blind.

Sound localization is a problem for the hearing impaired, deaf, and deaf-blind. A laboratory prototype of a three-microphone digital system for real-time directional analysis of sound sources that is mounted on eyeglasses has been developed. A cross-correlation algorithm is used for determinations of time and phase differences between the three microphone signals. The equipment was evaluated in a sound-treated test room with noise and speech stimuli from 12 different directions. It has an adequate precision (within approximately +/- 10 degrees) for speech and noise bursts in the frequency range 0.5-4 kHz, and for testing with words in a sound field the error percentage is very close to 0 at 0-degrees azimuth. The robustness of the algorithm in terms of signal-to-noise ratio is documented and reaches about +8 dB in different directions for speech and up to 0 dB for noise bursts. It is concluded that the construction of a robust system for directional analysis with sufficient efficiency for further experiments has been achieved.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The avian stapedius muscle. Influence on auditory sensitivity and sound transmission.

The influence of the solitary avian middle ear muscle, the m. stapedius, on auditory sensitivity and sound transmission was investigated in the domestic chicken, Gallus gallus. Electrophysiological recordings of inner ear microphonic potentials (MP) were made in order to determine the effects of calibrated, mechanically induced stapedius muscle (SM) tension changes on sounds reaching the auditory receptor cells. The maximum MP responses recorded during the pre-tension measurements were on the order of 200 microV and were linear (on a log-log scale) over a range of 40-100 dB SPL. Tension levels of 50-400 mN in the SM caused a reduction of up to 20 dB in the MP at frequencies throughout the auditory spectrum. It is concluded that the SM of Aves serves to protect the inner ear receptor cells against overstimulation. In addition to attenuating the amplitude of the MP response, SM tension changes caused significant changes in the phase of the signals reaching the inner ear. The magnitude of attenuation in the ipsilateral MP response to 200-400 mN of tension was found to be similar to the interaural attenuation that occurs when sound is transmitted to the ipsilateral ear from the contralateral ear via the intracranial passageway. The similarity in MP amplitude changes resulting from SM tension and intracranial transmission suggests that the SM may be involved in interaural interaction and thereby may aid in sound localization.

Animals↗