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Abstract
Numerous techniques have been tested to attempt to prevent the onset or progression
of age-related hearing loss (ARHL): raising the animals in an augmented acoustic environment
(used successfully in mouse and rat models), enhancing the antioxidant defenses with
exogenous antioxidant treatments (used with mixed results in mouse and rat models),
raising the animals with a calorie restricted diet (used successfully in mouse and
rat models), restoring lost endocochlear potential voltage with exogenous electrical
stimulation (used successfully in the Mongolian gerbil model), and hypothetical enhancement
of outer hair cell electromotility with salicylate therapy. Studies of human ARHL
have revealed a set of unique hearing loss configurations with unique underlying pathologies.
Animal research has developed models for the different forms of age-related peripheral
pathology. Using the animal models, different techniques for prevention of ARHL have
been developed and tested. The current review discusses ARHL patterns in humans and
animal models, followed by discussions of the different prevention techniques.
Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.