Postischemic mild hypothermia alleviates hearing loss because of transient ischemia

The effect of postischemic mild hypothermia on the inner ear has not been clari¢ed. In this study,we investigatedwhether hypothermia after transient ischemia could prevent cochlear damage and its therapeutic time window. Mongolian gerbils were divided into six groups: a sham-operation group, a normothermia group, and four hypothermia groups inwhich hypothermiawas induced1-7,1-4, 3-6, and 6-9 h after reperfusion. Animals subjected to postischemic mildhypothermiawithin 3 h after reperfusion had attenuatedhearing loss and inner hair cell loss.The protective effect was greater when hypothermia was induced earlier and had a longer duration. This implies that mild hypothermia after ischemia could have therapeutic effects for inner ear ischemic damage. NeuroReport 19:1325-1328