Identification and quantification of GABAA R-α1-positive cells in the DCN of rats with behavioral evidence of noise-induced tinnitus

Tinnitus, the perception of a phantom sound, often occurs as a clinical sequela of auditory traumas. However, the underlying mechanisms of tinnitus are largely unknown. In our previous studies, we found more gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor alpha 1 subunit (GABA_AR-α1)-positive cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) after noise exposure, however, we were not able to identify the specific types of DCN cells that up-regulated GABA_AR-α1 after the insult. In the current study, we used Nissl staining, Purkinje cell protein 4 (PCP4) and glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 (GAD67) immunolabeling to identify GABA_AR-α1-positive cells in the DCN. Each type of GABA_AR-α1-positive cells was quantified and statistically analyzed using immunostaining and Nissl staining according to their morphology, size and location in the DCN. GABA_AR-α1-positive cartwheel cells, Golgi cells, as well as ML-stellate and vertical cells were confirmed by dual immunolabeling. In the DCN, the most common GABA_AR-α1-positive cells were Golgi cells followed by vertical cells and cartwheel cells while very few other cells were GABA_AR-α1-positive in all conditions. We found significantly more GABA_AR-α1-positive Golgi cells in the DCN of noise-exposed rats without behavioral evidence of tinnitus compared to normal controls and noise-exposed rats with behavioral evidence of tinnitus. This heightened “context-dependent” inhibition may help to maintain a balanced neuronal network, preventing the potential for tinnitus-related hyperactivity in the auditory pathways.