Total GABA level in human auditory cortex is associated with speech-in-noise understanding in older age

Dobri, Simon; Roß, Bernhard

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117474

Cited by 29 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…Moreover, GABA levels in the right AR were positively correlated with MoCA in PC patients and have a trend toward correlation with AVLT which evaluates auditory memory and language learning. In line with our results, right auditory GABA levels were correlated with speech-in-noise understanding reflecting central auditory function 62 , and correlated with neural dedifferentiation, an important predictor of cognitive decline in the elderly 29 . Therefore, these findings imply that GABAergic inhibition altered in central auditory processing and may play an important role in central mechanisms of CI in PC.…”

Section: Altered Auditory Gaba and Glu Levels In Pcsupporting

confidence: 91%

Dysconnectivity between auditory-cognitive network associated with auditory GABA and glutamate levels in presbycusis patients

Ren

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Accumulating studies suggest an interaction between presbycusis (PC) and cognitive impairment, which may be explained by the cognitive-ear link to a large extent. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying this link are largely unknown. Here, 51 PC patients and 51 well-matched healthy controls were recruited. We combined resting-state functional MRI and edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy to investigate changes of intra- and inter-network functional connectivity and their relationships with auditory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (Glu) levels and cognitive impairment in PC. Our study confirmed the plastic model of cognitive-ear link at the level of the large-scale brain network, including the dysconnectivity within high-order cognitive networks and between the auditory-cognitive network and overactivation between cognitive networks dependent on hearing loss, which was closely related to the cognitive impairment of PC patients. Moreover, GABA and Glu levels in the central auditory processing were abnormal in patients with PC. Importantly, reduction of GABA-mediated inhibition plays a crucial role in a dysconnectivity between the auditory-cognitive network, which may be neurochemical underpinnings of functional remodeling of cognitive-ear link in PC. Modulation of GABA neurotransmission may enable the development of new therapeutic strategies for the cognitive impairment of PC patients.

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Section: Altered Auditory Gaba and Glu Levels In Pcsupporting

confidence: 91%

Dysconnectivity between auditory-cognitive network associated with auditory GABA and glutamate levels in presbycusis patients

Ren

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…Consistent with results from the current study, prior studies often demonstrate an agerelated reduction in GABA when examining GABA without correcting for atrophy and tissue composition within the voxel, suggesting that age-related reductions in GABA are due in part to age-related atrophy (Lalwani et al, 2019;Dobri and Ross, 2021). However, age-related atrophy was evident in both our auditory and control regions, yet only GABA from auditory cortex showed an age-related decrease.…”

Section: Effects Of Age Group On Gabasupporting

confidence: 88%

“…It is now well-established that individual differences in PTA are not associated with suprathreshold AN responses in older adults (Burkard and Sims, 2001; Konrad-Martin et al, 2012; Grose et al, 2019; Harris et al, 2021b), and that deficits in AN activity occur in older adults with a range of pure-tone thresholds. To date, associations between PTA and GABA+ in auditory cortex have been equivocal, with one study showing that increased hearing thresholds were associated with lower levels of GABA in older adults (Gao et al, 2015), whereas other studies show no associations (Profant et al, 2013; Dobri and Ross, 2021; Lalwani et al, 2021). The current study examined this association in a relatively large sample of older adults with a wide range of PTAs and found no association between GABA and PTA in older adults or when examining associations across age groups.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By examining central gain and GABA within the same participants, our results bridge work from animal models that suggest that central gain in the auditory system may disrupt signal in noise encoding (Resnik and Polley, 2021). Here in humans, lower levels of cortical GABA in older adults are associated with poorer SIN and decreased neural distinctiveness (Lalwani et al, 2019; Dobri and Ross, 2021). Moreover, these associations occur independently of the effects of PTA on SIN in both younger and older adults, suggesting that individual differences in GABA not related to age or hearing loss contribute to SIN.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Evidence from animal models of peripheral deafferentation suggests that reduced inhibition and enhancement of cortical responses contributes to deficits in rather than enhancement of complex auditory processing (Resnik and Polley, 2021). In humans, there is emerging evidence suggesting that lower levels of GABA contribute to poorer speech recognition in noise (SIN) and decreased neural distinctiveness between cortical representations of speech versus music (Lalwani et al, 2019; Dobri and Ross, 2021). However, these studies did not account for peripheral differences between younger and older adults in afferent innervation, and it is unclear the extent to which GABA levels were the result of general age-related decreases in inhibitory control or due to a loss in sensory input.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cortical compensation for afferent loss in older adults: Associations with GABA and speech recognition in noise

Harris

Balken²,

Dias³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Age-related deficits in auditory nerve (AN) function reduce afferent input to the auditory cortex. The extent to which the auditory cortex in older adults compensates for this loss of afferent input, also known as central gain, and the mechanisms underlying this compensation are not well understood. We took a neural systems approach to estimate central gain, measuring AN and cortical evoked responses within 50 older and 27 younger adults. Amplitudes were significantly smaller for older than for younger adults for AN responses but not for cortical responses. We used the relationship between AN and cortical response amplitudes in younger adults to predict cortical response amplitudes for older adults from their AN responses. Central gain in older adults was thus defined as the difference between their observed cortical responses and those predicted from the parameter estimates of younger adults. More central gain was associated with decreased cortical levels of GABA measured with 1H-MRS and poorer speech recognition in noise (SIN). Effects of central gain and GABA on SIN occur in addition to, and independent from, effects attributed to elevated hearing thresholds. Our results are consistent with animal models of central gain and suggest that reduced AN afferent input in some older adults may result in changes in cortical encoding and inhibitory neurotransmission, which contribute to reduced SIN. An advancement in our understanding of the changes that occur throughout the auditory system in response to the gradual loss of input with increasing age may provide potential therapeutic targets for intervention.

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Hearing loss and brain plasticity: the hyperactivity phenomenon

Butler

2021

Brain Struct Funct

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Total GABA level in human auditory cortex is associated with speech-in-noise understanding in older age

Cited by 29 publications

References 91 publications

Dysconnectivity between auditory-cognitive network associated with auditory GABA and glutamate levels in presbycusis patients

Dysconnectivity between auditory-cognitive network associated with auditory GABA and glutamate levels in presbycusis patients

Cortical compensation for afferent loss in older adults: Associations with GABA and speech recognition in noise

Hearing loss and brain plasticity: the hyperactivity phenomenon

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