Identification of genes involved in the effects of cochlea deprivation on chicken auditory nucleus

Sensorineural hearing loss disrupts the activity of auditory nerve and causes diverse effects in central auditory circuits. These effects of deafferentation including cell death have been studied in nucleus magnocellularis (NM) of the chicken, a homologue of mammalian anteroventral cochlear nucleus, which is involved in relaying auditory signals from the auditory nerve to higher auditory circuits. We analyzed mRNA profile in the NM of 6hr-, 24hr-, and 7 days-after cochlea deprivation and that of age-matched controls (P3, P4, and P10 animals) to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of deafferentation.