Noise-induced temporary threshold shift in macaques disrupts electrophysiological temporal processing despite recovery of cochlear sensitivity and preserved ribbon synapse counts

Abstract

Noise exposure can produce lasting auditory dysfunction in the absence of permanent threshold shifts or hair cell loss, yet the functional consequences of temporary threshold shift (TTS) remain poorly defined in translational models. We assessed auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) in rhesus macaques (n = 13) at 2 and 9-10 months following a single moderate noise exposure that induced TTS. Previous histological analyses of these macaques showed no significant loss of hair cells or ribbon synapses but revealed persistent broadening of inner and outer hair cell ribbon-volume distributions. After exposure, DPOAE amplitudes and thresholds and ABR thresholds returned to pre-exposure values and showed low-frequency enhancement at later time points. Suprathreshold click- and tone-evoked ABR amplitudes were largely preserved or enhanced after exposure, consistent with compensatory gain. In contrast, macaque-specific chirp-evoked ABRs showed modest amplitude reductions and latency prolongation across waves, indicating altered neural synchrony at standard stimulus presentation rates, but with variable time courses. More temporally demanding paradigms revealed persistent impairments. ABRs to faster click rates and shorter paired-click intervals showed reduced adaptability in response amplitude and timing after normalization, with deficits persisting through 9-10 months. Increased inner hair cell ribbon-volume variability was more consistently associated with temporal response measures, including latency, paired-click recovery, and rate adaptation, than with amplitude-based ABR measures. Together, these findings reveal a lasting dissociation between response magnitude and fidelity after TTS: suprathreshold responses may be preserved or enhanced, while neural synchrony and temporal adaptability remain impaired. Increased presynaptic ribbon volume variability may serve as a structural marker of synaptic remodeling accompanying hidden auditory dysfunction, rather than as a direct determinant of suprathreshold response magnitude. Temporally demanding ABR paradigms may supplement threshold-based diagnostics for detecting persistent noise-induced auditory dysfunction.