Increasing intensities of wide band noise increase [¹⁴C]2-deoxyglucose uptake in gerbil central auditory structures

The [¹⁴C]-deoxyglucose (2DG) technique has been used to map the effects of increasing intensities of wide band noise on 2DG uptake in mongolian gerbil brain auditory structures. Animals were injected with [¹⁴C]2DG and exposed to silence or continuous wide band noise at 25 dB, 45 dB, 65 dB, 85 dB or 105 dB SPL. Brains were removed, frozen-sectioned, and autoradiographed on X-ray film. The ratio of the optical density of gray matter structures to the optical density of cerebellar peduncles in each animal was used to semiquantitate the results. The dorsal and ventral cochlear nuclei, superior olive/trapezoid body, inferior colliculus, and the dorsal and ventral nuclei of the lateral lemniscus all showed increases in 2DG uptake during exposure to wide band noise (WBN). As noise intensity increased from 0 to 105 dB SPL, 2DG uptake increased regularly to a maximum at 85 or 105 dB SPL. As WBN intensity increased, deeper layers of inferior colliculus were activated. The medial geniculate nucleus and auditory cortex xhowed a lesser increase in 2DG uptake during noise exposure. Non-auditory structures, including the cerebellar cortex and the medullary reticular nuclei, showed no increase in 2DG uptake during noise exposure at any intensity tested.