Functional magnetic resonance imaging of the rat central auditory system following chronic intermittent hypoxia

Abstract

The brain depends on an adequate oxygen supply and hypoxia occurs when the supply is inadequate. Chronic hypoxia is a significant feature of multiple health conditions and occupations that have been associated with hearing disorders. We employed BOLD fMRI to investigate the effects of chronic intermittent hypoxia on central auditory physiology in an animal hypoxia model. Larger fMRI responses are observed in both auditory cortex hemispheres of hypoxia subjects. This difference may be related to earlier auditory evoked potential observations which suggested an abnormal stimulus classification response. Future fMRI studies can examine auditory physiology changes in human subjects at risk of chronic hypoxia.