Auditory Brainstem Function of the F₁ Offspring of the Cross of CBA/CaJ and AU/SsJ Inbred Mice

Abstract

Inbred strains of laboratory mice have several distinct advantages as models for examining conditions that influence the human auditory system, but the CBA/J mouse which has most often been used as a normal model has recently been found to have several disadvantages. This paper is the first report of the auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) of the Fl offspring of CBA/CaJ and AU/SsJ parents. At midlife, high-frequency ABR thresholds are lower in the F₁ than in either parental genotype. Tuning curves obtained by forward masking of the ABR also display heterosis, i.e. they are narrower in the F₁ than in either parental strain.

Key Words:

• Mouse
• Auditory brainstem function
• Genetics
• Tuning curves
• Heterosis