M. Knipper et al., Thyroid hormone deficiency before the onset of hearing causes irreversibledamage to peripheral and central auditory systems, J NEUROPHYS, 83(5), 2000, pp. 3101-3112
Both a genetic or acquired neonatal thyroid hormone (TH) deficiency may res
ult in a profound mental disability that is often accompanied by deafness.
The existence of various TH-sensitive periods during inner ear development
and general success of delayed, corrective TH treatment was investigated by
treating pregnant and lactating rats with the goitrogen methimazole (MMI).
We observed that for the establishment of normal hearing ability, maternal
TH, before fetal thyroid gland function on estrus days 17-18, is obviously
not required. Within a crucial time between the onset of fetal thyroid gla
nd function and the onset of hearing at postnatal day 12 (P12), any postpon
ement in the rise of TH-plasma levels, as can be brought about by treating
lactating mothers with MMI, leads to permanent hearing defects of the adult
offspring. The severity of hearing defects that were measured in 3- to 9-m
o-old offspring could be increased with each additional day of TH deficienc
y during this critical period. Unexpectedly, the active cochlear process, a
ssayed by distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) measurements, an
d speed of auditory brain stem responses, which both until now were not tho
ught to be controlled by TH, proved to be TW-dependent processes that were
damaged by a delay of TH supply within this critical time. In contrast, no
significant differences in the gross morphology and innervation of the orga
n of Corti or myelin gene expression in the auditory system, detected as my
elin basic protein (MBP) and proteolipid protein (PLP) mRNA using Northern
blot approach, were observed when TH supply was delayed for few days. These
classical TH-dependent processes, however, were damaged when TH supply was
delayed for several weeks. These surprising results may suggest the existe
nce of different TH-dependent processes in the auditory system: those that
respond to corrective TH supply (e.g., innervation and morphogenesis of the
organ of Corti) and those that do not, but require T3 activity during a ve
ry tight time window (e.g., active cochlear process, central processes).