简介：Growingevidencehasbeenfoundtosuggestthatearlydevelopmentofthecentralauditorysystemisdependentonacousticstimuli.Peripheraldamagecausedbynoiseexposureandototoxicdrugscaninducefunctionalandanatomicalchangesalongtheauditorypathways.Theinferiorcolliculus(IC)isauniquestructureintheauditorysystemlocatedbetweentheprimaryauditorynucleiofthebrainstemandthethala-mus.DamagetotheICinhibitorycircuitrymayaffectcentralauditoryprocessingandsoundperception.Here,wereviewsomeofthestrikingelectrophysiologicalchangesintheICthatoccurafternoiseexposureandototoxicdrugtreatment.AcommonoccurrencethatemergesintheICafterperipheraldamageishyper-excitabilityofsound-evokedresponse.ThehyperexcitabilityoftheICislikelyrelatedwithreducedinhibi-toryresponsethatrequiresnormalperipheralinputs.Earlyagehearinglosscanresultinalonglastingin-creasedsusceptibilitytoaudiogenicseizurewhichisrelatedtohyperactivityintheICevokedbyloudsounds.OurstudiessuggestthathearinglosscancauseincreasedICneuronresponsivenesswhichmayberelatedtotinnitus,hyperacusis,andaudiogenicseizure.