Biomedical subjects

W A Ahroon

Publications and source records attributed to W A Ahroon.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

The effects of interrupted noise exposures on the noise-damaged cochlea.

A variety of interrupted noise exposure paradigms will produce a toughening effect in the mammalian auditory system. That is, the threshold shift will gradually become smaller with each successive daily exposure. The ability of the system to be toughened has not been explored in subjects with a pre-existing noise-induced hearing loss. Using the chinchilla as the experimental animal, evoked potential audiometry to obtain thresholds, and surface preparation histology to quantify the sensory cell population, the issue of toughening was examined in the noise-damaged auditory system. Toughening was produced by a 1.0 kHz, narrow-band impact at 115 dB peak SPL for 10 days, 6 h/day, and trauma was produced by a 1.0 kHz, narrow-band impact at 121 dB peak SPL for 5 days, 24 h/day. Four groups of animals were used. Group 1: traumatic exposure followed 30 days later by the toughening exposure. Group 2: toughening exposure followed 30 days later by the traumatic exposure. Group 3: a trauma-only control. Group 4: a toughening-only control. Group 2 that received the toughening exposure 30 days prior to the traumatic exposure showed a 10 to more than 20 dB toughening effect between the 0.5 and 4.0 kHz test frequencies, while Group 1 that received the traumatic exposure followed 30 days later by the toughening exposure showed no toughening. The permanent changes in the evoked response audiograms and sensory cell populations were the same in Groups 1, 2 and 3 that were exposed to the traumatic noise, regardless of whether or not the animals were ever subjected to the toughening noise or whether the toughening noise preceded or followed the traumatic noise.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed1999

Noise-induced hearing loss in the noise-toughened auditory system.

The auditory system, toughened by an interrupted noise exposure, has been shown in several reports to be less affected by (or protected from) a subsequent high-level noise exposure. Exposure to 115 dB peak SPL, 1 kHz narrow band (400 Hz) transients presented l/s, 6 h/day, to four groups of chinchillas produced a 10-28 dB toughening effect across the 0.5-8.0 kHz test frequency range. Following either a 30 day or an 18 h recovery period the animals were exposed to the same impulses but presented at 121 or 127 dB peak SPL for five uninterrupted days, thus producing an asymptotic threshold shift (ATS) condition. Comparisons between toughened and untoughened control subjects showed: (1) During the 121 dB exposure there was a statistically significant reduction of 10-25 dB in ATS across the entire test frequency range. Thirty days following the 121 dB exposure there were no significant differences in the postexposure permanent effects on thresholds and sensory cell loss. (2) During the 127 dB exposure only the group with the 30 day interval between the toughening and traumatic exposures showed a small (approximately 10 dB), statistically significant, frequency-specific (8 kHz), reduction in ATS. Thirty days following the 127 dB exposure a statistically significant protective effect on threshold was measured only at 16.0 kHz. However, both toughened groups showed less inner hair cell loss at and above 1.0 kHz, while only the group with the 18 h interval between the toughening and traumatic exposures showed less outer hair cell loss at and above 1.0 kHz. There were no systematic differences in the response of the toughened animals that could be attributed to the 30 day or 18 h post-toughening interval.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed1999

Susceptibility of the noise-toughened auditory system to noise-induced trauma.

The auditory system 'toughened' by an interrupted noise exposure has been shown in several reports, to be less affected by (or protected from) a subsequent high level noise exposure. A group of chinchillas (n = 12) was exposed to an interrupted noise at 95 dB SPL, 0.5 kHz octave band, 6 h/day for 10 days. Threshold shifts measured over the 10 day exposure showed that the animals responded by either (1) developing a large toughening effect (i.e., thresholds after day 10 of the exposure were considerably better than at the end of day 1) (n = 5) or (2) not showing any toughening, instead thresholds continued to get worse over the course of the exposure (n = 7). After a 5 day interval, during which thresholds of all the animals returned to normal, they, along with a control group (n = 10) not exposed to the interrupted noise, were exposed to an asymptotic threshold shift producing traumatic noise (127 dB peak SPL narrow band impact, 1 kHz center frequency, 24 h/day for 5 days). Auditory evoked potential audiometry and surface preparation histology showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the response of any of the above groups to the traumatic noise. The interrupted noise exposure, whether it produced a toughening or not, did not provide any protection from a subsequent high-level noise.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Sound-induced priming of the chinchilla auditory system.

Exposure of the auditory system to either continuous or interrupted nontraumatic noises, often collectively referred to as priming exposures, has been shown, in a number of experimental paradigms, to reduce the susceptibility of the auditory system to noise-induced hearing and sensory cell loss from a subsequent traumatic exposure. Using auditory evoked potentials to obtain pure-tone thresholds and cochleograms to quantify sensory cell losses, the issue of priming-induced protective effects was examined in the chinchilla. Priming was accomplished with either a continuous noise or with a continuous noise followed by an interrupted noise. Trauma was induced by exposure to high-level impacts over a 5-day period that resulted in an asymptotic threshold shift. A comparison of the two groups of primed subjects with an unprimed control group showed that there were some statistically significant reductions in the asymptotic response of the primed groups to the traumatic exposure but no differences in permanent changes in thresholds among the three groups 30 days following the traumatic exposure. There were, however, some statistically significant, frequency-specific, reductions in outer hair cell loss in the primed groups. When conditioning was followed by the interrupted exposure that produced a threshold shift toughening effect, the conditioning protocol had no effect on the response of subjects to the interrupted exposure. There were also no differences in thresholds or sensory cell loss between the two primed groups 30 days post-trauma. Priming protocols may have different effects on the development of noise-induced trauma that are dependent on the nature of the traumatic stimulus, that is, long-term high-level impact noise exposure versus acute continuous noise exposure.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Noise-induced threshold shift dynamics measured with distortion-product otoacoustic emissions and auditory evoked potentials in chinchillas with inner hair cell deficient cochleas.

Chinchillas (n = 6) were treated with carboplatin and, following a 30-day recovery period, were exposed to a 115 dB peak SPL impact noise presented at a rate of l/s for 6 h/day for 10 days. A second group (n = 6) received only the noise treatment. Cubic distortion product otoacoustic emissions (2f1-f2) and auditory evoked potential (AEP) detection thresholds in response to tone bursts were measured before and 30 days after drug treatment and following the first and 10th day of the noise exposure. Thirty days after the final exposure day, permanent changes in AEP detection thresholds and emissions were measured and cochleograms constructed. The drug treatment eliminated over 80% of the inner hair cells (IHC) in the cochlea, leaving the outer hair cell (OHC) population essentially intact prior to the interrupted noise exposure. The drug treatment alone had very little or no effect on AEP detection thresholds and emission metrics. Following the noise exposure, the IHC-deficient animals showed clear 'toughening' effects in the AEP and emission measures which were the same as measured in the group receiving only the noise. After a 30-day post-exposure recovery period. AEP thresholds were elevated about 10 dB at the low frequencies in the drug-noise group whereas emissions returned to near normal despite the massive IHC losses. These results are consistent with the idea that an intact OHC population is required for toughening. However, sound-evoked efferent pathways activated by the few remaining IHCs (approximately 20%) which, in this preparation, are distributed throughout the cochlea, may still contribute significantly to the toughening phenomena.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Interrupted noise exposures: threshold shift dynamics and permanent effects.

A parametric study of the reduction of threshold shift (toughening phenomena) that takes place during the course of an interrupted noise exposure is described. 266 chinchillas randomly assigned to one of 32 experimental groups were exposed to one of the following: a 400-Hz narrow-band impact noise having a center frequency of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, or 8.0 kHz and peak sound-pressure levels of 109, 115, 121, or 127 dB. The impacts were presented for 5 d, 24 h/d or for 20 d, 6 h/d. corresponding pairs of exposures had equal energy. Group mean noise effects were estimated from pure-tone threshold obtained form inferior colliculus evoked potentials and from surface preparation histology. The threshold shift (TS) toughening phenomena is shown to occur in response to all stimuli that produce a TS and at all audiometric test frequencies. The amount of toughening, which is limited to less than 35 dB, varies with noise frequency and intensity. Based on group mean data the auditory system is not protected from the permanent effects of an interrupted noise exposure as a result of the toughening effect but rather differences in permanent effects between the 5- and 20-d exposures are attributed to the spreading of the exposure energy over an extended period of time.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Evoked-potential thresholds and cubic distortion product otoacoustic emissions in the chinchilla following carboplatin treatment and noise exposure.

Twenty-two chinchillas were given either a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) or intravenous (i.v.) injection (50 or 75 mg/kg) of Paraplatin, an asymptotic threshold shift-producing noise or a combination of the drug and noise in series. Auditory evoked potential (pure-tone) audiograms and cubic distortion product otoacoustic emissions were obtained on each animal before and after treatment, and the sensory epithelium of the cochlea was evaluated using the surface preparation method. Anatomical analysis indicated that the carboplatin alone caused relatively severe but scattered losses of inner hair cells throughout most of the cochlea which were dependent on dose and administration route. The outer sensory cell population remained essentially intact. In animals that had up to 40% scattered losses of only inner hair cells, evoked potential thresholds were near normal and the emission functions either were normal or showed an enhanced output. The severe losses of inner hair cells produced by the drug had no effect on the threshold shift dynamics produced by a five-day uninterrupted noise exposure. In general, there was not a consistent relation between the emission data and both the permanent threshold shift and outer hair cell losses.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed1996

The cubic distortion product otoacoustic emissions from the normal and noise-damaged chinchilla cochlea.

A normative study of the cubic distortion product emissions from 104 monaural and binaural chinchillas was undertaken to establish criteria upon which noise exposed animals could be evaluated. From this normative group, 47 randomly selected chinchillas were exposed to various high level (150-, 155-, and 160-db peak SPL) impulse noises. Auditory evoked potentials and cubic distortion product otoacoustic emissions were measured on each animal pre- and post-exposure and related to the sensory cell populations 30 days post-exposure. Both group mean and individual animal data indicated that the distortion product emissions were more sensitive, frequency-specific indices of noise-induced cochlear effects than pure-tone threshold measures. This was particularly evident near the threshold for noise-induced damage to the outer hair cell system.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed1996

The effects of reverberant blast waves on the auditory system.

Chinchillas were exposed to 1, 10, or 100 reverberant impulses at 150, 155, or 160 dB peak SPL. The impulses were generated by one of two different shock tubes, each producing blast waves having a different spectral composition, with one emphasizing low frequencies (< 0.5 kHz) and the other midfrequencies (2-4 kHz). Impulses were presented at the rate of one per minute. This parametric paradigm yielded 18 exposure conditions with 15 animals/condition. Hearing thresholds were measured using auditory-evoked potentials and the sensory epithelium was evaluated with the surface preparation. In general, trauma increased as the total energy of the exposure, determined by the peak SPL and number of presentations, increased. The dependent variables (permanent threshold shift and sensory cell loss) varied in an orderly fashion across frequency as the peak and number of presentations were increased for both blast wave sources. There were, however, consistent differences between the effects of the low- and high-frequency energy "content" blast waves. Correlations between the dependent variables and the energy of exposure were highest for P- or A-weighted energies [Patterson et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 93, 2860-2869 (1993)].

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Hearing threshold shifts from repeated 6-h daily exposure to impact noise.

Exposure of chinchillas to broadband, high-level impact noise on an interrupted 6-h daily schedule over 20 days has shown that pure-tone thresholds measured immediately following each daily exposure improve as much as 30 dB despite the continuing noise exposure. The time constant of this recovery effect (toughening) and the magnitude of the effect are related to the audiometric test frequency and the exposure energy. The trauma, quantified by permanent threshold shifts and sensory cell losses, produced by the interrupted exposure paradigm is generally less than that produced by an equal-energy uninterrupted exposure. The wide variations in the temporal pattern of threshold shift across similarly exposed animals suggest that the toughening effect reflects the underlying susceptibility of that animal to noise trauma.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

The application of frequency and time domain kurtosis to the assessment of hazardous noise exposures.

Five computer-synthesized broadband noises, each having the same average spectrum and the same unweighted Leq of 100 dB SPL but very different temporal structures, were used to produce hearing loss in chinchillas. Despite the same exposure energies and spectra, each noise exposure produced a different magnitude and frequency distribution of hearing loss and sensory cell loss. The results indicate that the statistical properties of a signal are important in the determination of hearing loss. When the audiometric and histological results are compared to a metric based upon kurtosis measured in the time and the frequency domain for each exposure, there is a clear indication that these statistical metrics are good predictors of the relative magnitude and frequency distribution of the acoustic trauma.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Complex noise exposures: an energy analysis.

Industrial noise environments usually present a complex stimulus to the exposed individual. These environments often contain mixtures of multiply reflected impact noises and a relatively Gaussian broadband noise. Noise exposure standards do not consider the possibility of interactions between the two classes of noise that can exacerbate the amount of hearing trauma. This paper presents the results of a large series of experiments designed to document the hazard posed to hearing from complex noise exposures. Twenty-three groups of chinchillas with 5 to 11 animals per group (total N = 135) were exposed for 5 days to either octave bands of noise, impacts alone, or combinations of impact and octave bands of noise. Evoked potential measures of hearing thresholds and cochleograms were used to quantify the noise-induced trauma. The results show that, for sound exposure levels (SEL) which produce less than approximately 10 dB PTS (permanent threshold shift) or 5% total sensory cell loss, equal-energy exposures tend to produce equivalent effects on hearing. However, there is a range of at least 10 dB in the SEL parameter where hearing loss from equal-energy exposures at a particular SEL can be exacerbated by increasing the repetition rate of the impacts or by the addition of a Gaussian low-level noise. The exacerbation of trauma from the addition of a Gaussian continuous noise is dependent upon the spectrum of that noise.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed1993

Audiometric and histological differences between the effects of continuous and impulsive noise exposures.

An experiment was designed to determine if, for equal SPL and power spectrum, the effects on hearing of high-kurtosis noise exposures and a Gaussian noise exposure are different and the extent to which any differences measured in terms of audiometric and histological variables are frequency specific. Three groups of chinchillas with 10 animals/group were exposed for 5 days at 90 dB SPL to one of three types of noise, each with the same power spectrum. The impulsiveness, defined by the kurtosis, and the region of the spectrum from which the impulsive components of the noise were created differed for two of the noises, while the third was a continuous Gaussian noise. The results show that the most impulsive noise produced up to 20 dB greater permanent threshold shift at the high frequencies than did the Gaussian noise exposure. However, these audiometric results were difficult to reconcile with the pattern of sensory cell losses that showed statistically significant larger losses of outer hair cells for the impulsive exposure in the 0.25-kHz region. When the impacts in a high-kurtosis noise were created from the energy in the 1- through 6-kHz region of the spectrum, the audiometric profile of hearing loss was similar to that produced by the Gaussian noise; however, inner hair cell losses were significantly greater in the 4-kHz octave band region of the cochlea.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed1993

Frequency selectivity in noise-damaged cochleas.

Measures of auditory threshold and masked threshold were obtained at six audiometric test frequencies along with cochleograms on a total population of 363 noise-exposed chinchillas. Seventy animals were chosen from this sample and were separated into five relatively homogeneous groups based upon the amount of permanent threshold shift and sensory cell losses the animals incurred. Tuning curve (TC) metrics were compared to the mean preexposure TC metrics for each group and to the reference preexposure TC metrics obtained from the sample of 363 animals. These data show that in animals with relatively little hearing loss changes in TC metrics can provide evidence for noise-induced sensory cell losses and that the low frequency slope of the TC is a sensitive index of trauma.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

The energy spectrum of an impulse: its relation to hearing loss.

Permanent threshold shifts obtained from 242 chinchillas that were exposed to various impulse noise paradigms have been related to the energy spectra of the impulses. The impulses were generated by three different shock tubes that produced impulse noise spectra whose A-weighted energies showed peaks at 0.25, 1, and 2 kHz. The results show that there is an increasing susceptibility to NIPTS as the audiometric test frequency increases from 0.5 to 16 kHz. This increase in susceptibility to NIPTS is further accentuated by approximately 5 to 10 dB for impulses whose spectra peak at 2 kHz.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

The quantitative relation between sensory cell loss and hearing thresholds.

On the basis of experimental data obtained from 420 noise-exposed animals (chinchilla), the amount of sensory cell loss has been quantitatively related to the amount of permanent threshold shift at eight audiometric test frequencies between 0.125 and 16 kHz. The noise exposures, which varied extensively in spectrum, intensity and duration, produced permanent threshold shifts that ranged from 0 to 70 dB across a broad range of test frequencies. These data show: (1) consistent outer hair cell losses with less than 5 dB permanent threshold shifts (PTS) across all the test frequencies; (2) the first approximately 30 dB of PTS is established by losses of primarily outer hair cells; (3) in regions of the cochlea that transduce frequencies higher than or equal to 2 kHz, the three rows of outer hair cells show the same degree of loss for a given PTS, while in the 0.5 to 1.0 kHz region of the cochlea, the third row of outer hair cells (OHC) consistently shows less loss than do rows one and two; (4) appreciable inner hair cell (IHC) loss does not begin to appear until PTS exceeds approximately 30 dB; (5) in the virtual absence of OHC, hearing thresholds are least sensitive to IHC loss in the octave band centered at 4 kHz, i.e., the 4 kHz region can be as functional as other areas of the cochlea in spite of a greater amount of damage. The quantitative relation between cell loss and PTS varies as a function of test frequency in an orderly fashion.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

The relation among hearing loss, sensory cell loss and tuning characteristics in the chinchilla.

Evoked-potential tuning curves were obtained on over 150 chinchillas before and after acoustic overstimulation in order to relate the effects of changes in frequency selectivity to sensory cell loss over a wide range of hearing loss. Pre- and post-exposure measures of auditory thresholds and masked thresholds (simultaneous tone-on-tone paradigm) were obtained in each animal at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 8.0 and 11.2 kHz, using the auditory evoked potential recorded from the inferior colliculus. Three tuning curve variables (Q10dB, low-frequency slope and high-frequency slope) were compared to the amount of noise-induced permanent threshold shift and to the percent sensory cell loss produced by a variety of noise exposures. Based upon large sample averages, frequencies showing permanent threshold shifts in excess of 10 dB also showed statistically significant differences between pre- and post-exposure measures of all three tuning curve variables. Shifts of less than 10 dB were not accompanied by statistically significant changes in the tuning curve variables. The percentage of outer hair cell loss, and percentage change in tuning curve characteristics showed systematic and parallel increases as threshold shifts increased at all probe tone frequencies except 8.0 and 11.2 kHz. In general, the results were consistent in showing that there is a systematic change in the variables which define the quality of tuning as hearing loss progressively increases and that these changes are clearly related to outer hair cell losses.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed1989

Noise and vibration interactions: effects on hearing.

There is the suggestion in the literature that vibration may potentiate the effects of noise and may thus increase the risk of hearing loss in a variety of exposure situations. However, in human experimental studies, which, by necessity, are limited to low levels of exposure, the effects measured are relatively small. A very limited number of animal studies have also shown an enhanced noise-induced hearing loss in the presence of vibration, but the scope of these studies is limited. The animal studies (chinchilla) that form the basis of this report were performed using a 30-Hz, 3g rms and a 20-Hz, 1.3g rms cage vibration separately and in combination with continuous noise (95-dB, 0.5-kHz octave band) and impact noise (113, 119, or 125 dB peak SPL) exposure paradigms. All exposures lasted for 5 days. The impact noise exposures were designed to have approximately equal total energy. Temporary and permanent threshold shifts were measured using evoked potentials, and sensory cell loss was measured using surface preparation histology. The results obtained from some of the noise/vibration paradigms showed that such exposures can alter some of the dependent measures of hearing. This effect was statistically significant only for the stronger vibration exposure conditions and was evident primarily in the extent of the outer hair cell losses and in the shape of the PTS audiogram.

Animals↗