The molecular mechanisms underpinning auditory neuropathy

Abstract

Auditory neuropathy (AN) is a hearing disorder where cochlear inner hair cell and/or the auditory nerve function is disrupted while outer hair cell function is normal. It can affect people of all ages, from infancy to adulthood. People with auditory neuropathy may have normal hearing threshold, or hearing loss ranging from mild to severe; they always have poor speech-perception abilities. It is a heterogeneous disorder which can have either congenital or acquired causes. AN may result from specific loss of cochlear inner hair cells, disordered release of neurotransmitters by inner hair cell ribbon synapses, deafferentation accompanying loss of auditory nerve fibers, neural dys-synchrony or conduction block as a result of demyelination of nerve fibers and auditory nerve hypoplasia. Although the definition of AN includes the central part, its incidence is low, and the etiology and pathology are not clear. The present review aimed to provide an overview of the genetic conditions associated with AN and highlight the neural and synaptic mechanism of AN. Possible strategy for treatments of AN was also discussed.