Abstract
For social animals that communicate acoustically, hearing loss and social isolation are factors that independently influence social behavior. In human subjects, hearing loss may also contribute to objective and subjective measures of social isolation. Although the behavioral relationship between hearing loss and social isolation is evident, there is little understanding of their interdependence at the level of neural systems. Separate lines of research have shown that social isolation and hearing loss independently target the serotonergic system in the rodent brain. These two factors affect both presynaptic and postsynaptic measures of serotonergic anatomy and function, highlighting the sensitivity of serotonergic pathways to both types of insult. The effects of deficits in both acoustic and social inputs are seen not only within the auditory system, but also in other brain regions, suggesting relatively extensive effects of these deficits on serotonergic regulatory systems. Serotonin plays a much-studied role in depression and anxiety, and may also influence several aspects of auditory cognition, including auditory attention and understanding speech in challenging listening conditions. These commonalities suggest that serotonergic pathways are worthy of further exploration as potential intervening mechanisms between the related conditions of hearing loss and social isolation, and the affective and cognitive dysfunctions that follow.
Highlights
Social Isolation Can Occur with Hearing LossSocial isolation is a major concern among people with hearing loss [1,2,3,4]. Uncorrected hearing loss can lead to both reduced interaction with others and to an increased subjective perception of loneliness [5,6,7]
For social animals that communicate acoustically, hearing loss and social isolation are factors that independently influence social behavior
Given that reduced body weight is one indicator of stress in rodents [149], these findings suggest that the effects of isolation on SERT+ fibers in the auditory system may be tied to psychosocial stress
Summary
Social isolation is a major concern among people with hearing loss [1,2,3,4]. Uncorrected hearing loss can lead to both reduced interaction with others and to an increased subjective perception of loneliness [5,6,7]. Plastic changes that follow hearing loss encompass spectral and temporal aspects of neural responses to acoustic stimuli (e.g., [31,32,33,34]) and have been associated with functional deficits that extend beyond higher perceptual thresholds These deficits include difficulty in understanding speech, hypersensitivity to sound (hyperacusis), or perception of phantom sounds (tinnitus) [35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42]. The current paper addresses the convergence of hearing loss and social isolation on a single neuromodulatory system, the serotonergic system This system has widespread projections throughout the brain and spinal cord, including within the auditory system [68,69,70].
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