Hearing damage changes the balance of activating and calming nerve cells in the mouse sound processing center

Acoustic trauma led to an inversion in the spontaneous firing rates of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the inferior colliculus of mice.

• In control animals, GABAergic neurons exhibited a higher spontaneous firing rate compared to glutamatergic neurons.
• After acoustic trauma, the spontaneous activity balance shifted, with increased firing rates exclusively in glutamatergic neurons.
• Frequent bursting episodes were observed in glutamatergic neurons following acoustic trauma.
• Distinct modifications in spike shapes were noted for GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons post-trauma.
• These findings indicate that acoustic trauma may induce plastic changes in neuronal circuits, affecting excitatory-inhibitory balance.
• An aberrant excitatory-inhibitory balance in the inferior colliculus could be associated with tinnitus perception.

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