Effects of loud noise on hippocampal and cerebellar-related behaviors. Role of oxidative state.

Living organisms are exposed to potentially hazardous noise levels coming from the environment. Besides the direct effect on hearing, extra-auditory noise-associated effects should be considered. Since loud noise has been suggested to induce central nervous system symptoms, the aim of the present work was to investigate the effect of acute (ANE) and chronic noise exposures (CNE) on different behavioral tasks. To understand the mechanisms involved, levels of oxidative status markers were determined in two areas related to memory processes, the hippocampus (Hip) and the cerebellum (CE). 15-day-old male Wistar rats were exposed to loud noise (95-97 dB, 2h/day), at ANE or CNE. At 30 days, rats were subjected to different CE and Hip-related behavioral tasks. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT and SOD) were also assessed. Results show impairments in spatial and associative memory in noise-exposed animals. Moreover, a decrease in anxiety levels and an increase in habituation memory were observed in CNE animals. While an increase in cerebellar ROS levels was found early after the first noise exposure, a decrease was found in the CE and the Hip at 30 days. The activity of hippocampal CAT was increased early and remained high in ANE rats, while it was unchanged in the CE. Finally, although SOD activity was decreased immediately after the first noise exposure, its levels were increased at 30 days in ANE rats. In summary, the present study shows that an imbalance in oxidative status induced by noise exposure could underlie behavioral changes, some of which would be long-lasting.