Age‐Related Changes on the Morphology of the Otoconia

Jang, Yoon Seok; Hwang, Chan Ho; Shin, Ji Young; Bae, Woo Yang; Kim, Lee Suk

doi:10.1097/01.mlg.0000217238.84401.03

Cited by 112 publications

(106 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…This is consistent with reported age-related changes in vestibular structure, biochemistry, and cardiovascular supply including pathology and loss of type I and type II hair cells (Rauch et al 2001;Shiga et al 2005;Park et al 1987), pathology of stereocilia/kinocilia (Rosenhall and Rubin 1975;Bloom and Hultcrantz 1994;Nakayama et al 1994), degradation of the cuticular plate (Anniko 1983;Bloom and Hultcrantz 1994), neural degeneration (Gleeson et al 1990;Rauch et al 2001), reduced blood flow (Lyon and Davis 2002), changes in the globular substance and otoconia (Jang et al 2006;Suzuki et al 1997;Campos et al 1990), and increased presence of lipofuscin (Rosenhall and Rubin 1975;Park et al 1987;Gleeson et al 1990;Anniko 1983). These structural observations represent human, rat, guinea pig, monkey, and C57BL/6 J inbred mice models.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Gravity Receptor Aging in the CBA/CaJ Strain: A Comparison to Auditory Aging

Mock

Jones

2010

JARO

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The CBA/CaJ mouse strain is commonly used as a control as it has no known genetic mutations affecting the inner ear, maintains hearing sensitivity throughout life, and serves as a background for creating new genetic strains. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the effects of age and gender on gravity receptor function and compare functional changes between auditory and vestibular modalities. Vestibular-evoked potentials (VsEPs), auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), and distortion product otoacoustic emissions were measured in 131 mice. VsEP thresholds deteriorated an average of 0.39 dB re: 1.0 g/ms per month and at the oldest ages (18-23 months old) showed an average loss of 49% of VsEP dynamic range. No significant gender differences were found for VsEPs. ABR thresholds increased by an average of 1.35, 1.38, and 1.15 dB pe SPL per month for ABR stimulus frequencies of 8, 16, and 32 kHz, respectively, demonstrating an average decrease in auditory dynamic range of 25-35% at advanced ages. Both modalities declined with age. Age-related decreases in gravity receptor sensitivity should be considered when using the CBA/CaJ strain for vestibular studies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Gravity Receptor Aging in the CBA/CaJ Strain: A Comparison to Auditory Aging

Mock

Jones

2010

JARO

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“…Aging has been associated with reduction in otoconia mass as well as fracture and fragment formation in both animals and humans (31)(32)(33)(34)(35). While it is easy to assume that reduction in otoconia would result in the reduction of organ function, otoconia degeneration has been shown to affect the utricle more than the saccule (31, 36), which would not explain the findings in the Agrawal et al study (27).…”

Section: Otolith Organscontrasting

confidence: 54%

Age-Related Vestibular Loss: Current Understanding and Future Research Directions

Agrawal¹,

Carey²

2017

Frontiers Research Topics

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The vestibular system sub-serves a number of reflex and perceptual functions, comprising the peripheral apparatus, the vestibular nerve, the brainstem and cerebellar processing circuits, the thalamic relays, and the vestibular cerebral cortical network. This system provides signals of self-motion, important for gaze and postural control, and signals of traveled distance, for spatial orientation, especially in the dark. Current evidence suggests that certain aspects of this multi-faceted system may deteriorate with age and sometimes with severe consequences, such as falls. Often the deterioration in vestibular functioning relates to how the signal is processed by brain circuits rather than an impairment in the sensory transduction process. We review current data concerning age-related changes in the vestibular system, and how this may be important for clinicians dealing with balance disorders.

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“…In fact, it has been reported that autophagic activity decreases with age (53). This decrease may be related to the observed agerelated degeneration of vestibular otoconia, in which many features resemble those of autophagy-deficient mutants, including the presence of giant and abnormally shaped crystals (54). Thus, treatments aimed at maintaining normal autophagic activity in the elderly might constitute new approaches to the clinical management of balance-related disorders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autophagy is essential for mouse sense of balance

Mariño¹,

Fernández²,

Cabrera³

et al. 2010

J. Clin. Invest.

176

175

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Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that is essential for cellular homeostasis and organismal viability in eukaryotes. However, the extent of its functions in higher-order processes of organismal physiology and behavior is still unknown. Here, we report that autophagy is essential for the maintenance of balance in mice and that its deficiency leads to severe balance disorders. We generated mice deficient in autophagin-1 protease (Atg4b) and showed that they had substantial systemic reduction of autophagic activity. Autophagy reduction occurred through defective proteolytic processing of the autophagosome component LC3 and its paralogs, which compromised the rate of autophagosome maturation. Despite their viability, Atg4b-null mice showed unusual patterns of behavior that are common features of inner ear pathologies. Consistent with this, Atg4b-null mice showed defects in the development of otoconia, organic calcium carbonate crystals essential for sense of balance (equilibrioception). Furthermore, these abnormalities were exacerbated in Atg5 -/-mice, which completely lack the ability to perform autophagy, confirming that autophagic activity is necessary for otoconial biogenesis. Autophagy deficiency also led to impaired secretion and assembly of otoconial core proteins, thus hampering otoconial development. Taken together, these results describe an essential role for autophagy in inner ear development and equilibrioception and open new possibilities for understanding and treating human balance disorders, which are of growing relevance among the elderly population.

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Age‐Related Changes on the Morphology of the Otoconia

Abstract: The oldest rats showed the most degeneration of otoconia and linking filaments with otoconial fragments. This study of age-related morphologic changes in otoconia might help us understand the origin of idiopathic benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Cited by 112 publications

References 12 publications

Gravity Receptor Aging in the CBA/CaJ Strain: A Comparison to Auditory Aging

Gravity Receptor Aging in the CBA/CaJ Strain: A Comparison to Auditory Aging

Age-Related Vestibular Loss: Current Understanding and Future Research Directions

Autophagy is essential for mouse sense of balance

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