Boosting GABA improves impaired auditory temporal resolution in the gerbil

Abstract

Elderly humans often not only experience peripheral hearing loss but also suffer from more central deficits in temporal auditory processing affecting speech perception. Impaired auditory temporal resolution has also been observed in old rodents. Other studies have demonstrated a reduction of GABAergic function in the auditory pathway of old animals. Here we test the hypothesis that deficits in the GABAergic system affect central auditory processing. Our data suggests that pharmacological augmentation of the GABAergic system ameliorates impaired temporal auditory processing in the gerbil and might be a strategy for the treatment of at least some forms of central hearing loss in humans.