Calcium channel complexes and cochlear synaptopathy

Moderate noise trauma, which does not impair hearing thresholds, can nevertheless cause irreversible loss of presynaptic ribbons in inner hair cells and of specific auditory nerve fibers (cochlear synaptopathy). Using different mouse models we will investigate the role of candidate synaptic proteins in cochlear synaptopathy.

We will further study the consequences of impaired IHC synaptic transmission on central auditory processing and auditory-evoked behavior in mouse mutants.