Auditory hair cell regeneration in teleost fishes: A review.

Exposure to high levels of sound can cause damage to the auditory hair cells of many organisms, including fishes, resulting in hearing deficits. While such exposure can lead to permanent hearing loss in mammals, other phylogenetically older nonmammalian vertebrates, such as birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes, can spontaneously regenerate hair cells in both the vestibular and auditory portions of the inner ear following trauma. The general mechanism of hair cell regeneration is currently being examined in a number of different taxa, but data are limited on hair cell regeneration in the inner ear of fishes. This presentation will summarize the few studies that have examined auditory hair cell regeneration in teleost fishes and compare the results reported for fishes to those reported for other species. While understanding the process of hair cell regeneration in fishes has biomedical relevance, this knowledge could also benefit marine managers attempting to mitigate the effects of anthropogenic noise on fishes. [Work supported by NIH P20 RR16481.]