Long-term training alters response dynamics in the aging auditory cortex

• Published in: Hearing research 2024-03, Vol.444, p.108965, Article 108965
• Main Authors: Mittelstadt, Jonah K., Shilling-Scrivo, Kelson V., Kanold, Patrick O.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Auditory cortex; Cortical plasticity; Neuroplasticity; Response; Training
• ISSN: 0378-5955; 1878-5891; 1878-5891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2024.108965

•Long-term auditory training preserves task performance in mice.•Training alters primary auditory cortex (ACtx) activity.•Within ACtx, tone onset and suppressed responses are more correlated via training.•Auditory training may postpone the detrimental effects of aging on ACtx activity. Age-related auditory dysfunction, presbycusis, is caused in part by functional changes in the auditory cortex (ACtx) such as altered response dynamics and increased population correlations. Given the ability of cortical function to be altered by training, we tested if performing auditory tasks might benefit auditory function in old age. We examined this by training adult mice on a low-effort tone-detection task for at least six months and then investigated functional responses in ACtx at an older age (∼18 months). Task performance remained stable well into old age. Comparing sound-evoked responses of thousands of ACtx neurons using in vivo 2-photon Ca2+ imaging, we found that many aspects of youthful neuronal activity, including low activity correlations, lower neural excitability, and a greater proportion of suppressed responses, were preserved in trained old animals as compared to passively-exposed old animals. Thus, consistent training on a low-effort task can benefit age-related functional changes in ACtx and may preserve many aspects of auditory function.