Alterations of auditory nerve responses by hypoxia in normal and hydropic ears of awake guinea pigs.

Total interruption of blood or oxygen supply to the inner ear produces very rapid and drastic effects, whereas moderate decreases can be well tolerated by normal ears. In experimental endolymphatic hydrops some moderate alterations of cochlear vasculature have been described which might affect cochlear adaptation to moderate blood or oxygen deficiencies. In order to test this hypothesis an hypoxia at 5% oxygen was imposed for 30 min in normal and hydropic ears of awake guinea pigs and cochlear function was monitored with an electrode at the round window. Electrophysiological recordings used measures of compound action potential (CAP) amplitudes evoked by high-intensity tones, and of CAP thresholds. In normal ears hypoxia induced threshold elevations at all frequencies and decreases of CAP amplitude only for high frequencies. Hydropic ears presented similar or smaller threshold elevations but showed CAP amplitude decreases extending to lower frequencies and showed a much slower recovery both for CAP thresholds and amplitudes. The data indicate that hypoxia had different effects on auditory nerve responses evoked by high versus low intensity tones. The deleterious effects of hypoxia were increased in hydropic ears. Hypoxia-induced alterations were measured twice at one week intervals during which an anti-ischemic drug was administered to the animals; some beneficial effects of the drug treatment were observed on normal but not on hydropic ears.