Activity Deprivation-Induced Transcriptional Changes in the P21 Cochlear Nucleus

We analyzed whether cochlear removal-induced transcriptional changes in the cochlear nucleus (CN) were due to loss of electrical activity in the 8th nerve. Pharmacological activity blockade of the auditory nerve for 24 h resulted in similar expression changes for only a subset of genes. Thus, an additional factor not dependent on action potential-mediated signaling must also regulate transcriptional responses to deafferentation in the CN. TTX was infused into the cochlea unilaterally via osmotic pumps to block activity in the 8th nerve. CN tissue was dissected out from 10-12 mice per replicate and pooled. Three biological replicates were performed. Gene expression was compared between the ipsilateral and contralateral CN tissue to identify genes transcriptionally regulated after activity deprivation.