Effect of unilateral noise exposure on the tonotopic distribution of spontaneous activity in the cochlear nucleus and inferior colliculus in the cortically intact and decorticate rat

Effects of unilateral noise exposure on spontaneous activity (SA) in the anteroventral and dorsal cochlear nuclei (AVCN and DCN) and the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICc) were studied in cortically intact and decorticate rats. SA was measured I week following exposure using uptake of C-14-labeled 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) in quiet. Optical density (OD) measurements were obtained in low- and high-frequency (LF and HF) areas of each nucleus. We refer to the ipsilateral AVCN and DCN (side of the noise-exposed ear) and the contralateral ICc as direct nuclei and to their opposite side counterparts as indirect nuclei. Noise exposure altered the tonotopic profile of SA in the direct pathway by causing a decrease in the ratio of HIP OD to LF OD (HF/LF ratio). In intact animals, the decreased HF/LF ratio was due to decreased HIP OD. In decorticate animals, it was due to decreased HF OD and increased LF OD, the latter occurring mainly in the DCN and ICc. Decorticate-intact differences may reflect corticofugal feedback inhibition. Lesion of the dorsal acoustic stria caused a substantial decrement of SA in the contralateral ICc. Furthermore, strong positive correlations between HF/LF ratios in the DCN, AVCN, and contralateral ICc suggest that the cochlear nucleus is a major contributor to SA in the ICc. Noise exposure had opposite and weaker effects on 2DG uptake in the indirect pathway that were attributed to crossed inhibition. Noise-induced changes in the tonotopic profile of SA may represent a neural correlate of tinnitus.