Age-related Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) Threshold Changes in the Dancer Mouse Mutant

Abstract

An age-related analysis of auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds in 42 heterozygotic dancer mouse mutants (1-13 months old) showed an impairment of ABR thresholds with in creasing age, though individual threshold curves could vary considerably. As compared with normal CBA/CBA mice, a progressive deterioration of ABR thresholds occurred from the 2nd postnatal month onwards. The dancer mutant has an inner ear with a morphogenetic type of defect, caused by a semidominant gene which is located in chromosome 19.

Key Words:

• dancer mouse
• hereditary deafness
• inner ear
• hearing threshold function