Resistance to age-related hearing loss in the echolocating big brown bat ( Eptesicus fuscus )

Hearing mediates many behaviours critical for survival in echolocating bats, including foraging and navigation. Although most mammals are susceptible to progressive age-related hearing loss, the evolution of biosonar, which requires the ability to hear low-intensity echoes from outgoing sonar signal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2024-11, Vol.291 (2034), p.20241560
Main Authors: Capshaw, Grace, Diebold, Clarice A, Adams, Danielle M, Rayner, Jack G, Wilkinson, Gerald S, Moss, Cynthia F, Lauer, Amanda M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging - physiology
Animals
Chiroptera - physiology
Cochlea - physiology
DNA Methylation
Echolocation
Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem
Female
Hearing - physiology
Hearing Loss - physiopathology
Hearing Loss - veterinary
Male
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Summary:Hearing mediates many behaviours critical for survival in echolocating bats, including foraging and navigation. Although most mammals are susceptible to progressive age-related hearing loss, the evolution of biosonar, which requires the ability to hear low-intensity echoes from outgoing sonar signals, may have selected against the development of hearing deficits in bats. Many echolocating bats exhibit exceptional longevity and rely on acoustic behaviours for survival to old age; however, relatively little is known about the ageing bat auditory system. In this study, we used DNA methylation to estimate the ages of wild-caught big brown bats ( ) and measured hearing sensitivity in young and ageing bats using auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). We found no evidence for hearing deficits in bats up to 12.5 years of age, demonstrated by comparable thresholds and similar ABR and DPOAE amplitudes across age groups. We additionally found no significant histological evidence for cochlear ageing, with similar hair cell counts, afferent and efferent innervation patterns in young and ageing bats. Here, we demonstrate that big brown bats show minimal evidence for age-related hearing loss and therefore represent informative models for investigating mechanisms that may preserve hearing function over a long lifetime.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2024.1560