A Causative Link Between Inner Ear Defects and Long-Term Striatal Dysfunction

Abstract

Deafness and Misbehavior Behavioral problems accompanied by hyperactivity often occur in children with severe hearing loss and vestibular impairment. Explanations have focused on socioenvironmental factors, but Antoine et al. (p. 1120 ) found that inner ear defects can cause dysfunction in the striatum, which leads to abnormal behavior—especially hyperactivity—mediated by dopamine and glutamate signals, in an area of the striatum that is instrumental in controlling motor output. The abnormal behavior can be reversed by injection of an extracellular signal-regulated kinase inhibitor, which provides a novel target pathway for the treatment of behavioral disorders.