Questions: Auditory Nerve

[Nick Pyzik]

What do you guys think would happen to someone if they slowly overtime destroyed their entire auditory nerve but yet they still had all their Outer Hair Cells and Inner Hair cells in place? Would the brain create new nerve fibers? Would the subject become deaf or since they still have all their hair cells would the brain sprout out new connections to these hair cells? Would plasticity occur? Could this be in relation to Tinnitus?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151214145956.htm

Why is there a change in the brain with Tinnitus to where emotions are processed differently?

http://www.audiologyonline.com/releases/found-likely-new-contributor-to-14893

Could this be in relation to the newly discovered issue of age-related (or also could be noise-induced) hearing?

 

[Nucleo]

Damaged nerves may repair themselves but once they are gone, they're gone. If someone completely destroys his auditory nerve he will be either deaf, or the quality of sound will be so poor that he won't be able to understand anything.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_neuropathy

 

[Nick Pyzik]

@Nucleo Interesting information. I'm confused though by the recently discovered issue that with age-related hearing loss, new incoming nerves connect with hair cells as outgoing nerves degenerate or are lost. I've read that age-related hearing loss can usually be looked at the same as noise-induced hearing loss. I was wondering if maybe the brain actually makes new nerves that connect to our hair cells if we damage the auditory nerve enough from sound. I was wondering this because it seems like this is something that has happened to me.

This also is in relation to the way that people who have Tinnitus process emotions differently than those with normal hearing. Why is that? I understand that plasticity occurs with Tinnitus but is there a possibility that with this plastic change in the brain, new nerves can form in the ear that are connected to these different areas of the brain? Sorry I'm just very worried with how I've been feeling lately and what's been going on with my hearing.

 

[Nucleo]

You are right in saying the age related hearing loss and noise induced hearing loss is pretty much the same. It is the result of cumulative damage from exposure - not just hair cells committing seppuku just because they reached their expiration date.

Hair cells also use both afferent and efferent nerve connections to the brain to function properly. Nerves from the ear signal the brain that their is sound, then efferent neurons fire back a response to the outer hair cells to amplify the sound of interest. If something goes wrong or changes in that system then I suspect you would experience changes in your hearing.

I do know how this relates in terms of anxiety or emotions. There are people with tinnitus who do not feel anxious about it and I suspect these people probably still process emotions like most people.

 

[noisebox]

I'm wondering if a nerve thats had a shock via stress, not noise can recover.
My unilateral T was stable, almost silent then I had stress, anxiety all medical induced, over dose of vitamin D causing loss of magnesium. then I tried sound gens for just 16 hours and the pitch also changed up.
I have seen loads of improvement but I'm still scared my old pitch wont come back even though my body is in good balance now, though diet and vitamins.
I'm scared the gens damaged my nerve for ever, it was June when I wore them.