ArticlePloS one2026
Fluoxetine minimally affects hearing loss but induces gene expression changes in the cochlear nuclei after noise exposure.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis study investigated the effects of fluoxetine on noise-induced injuries to the cochlea and auditory nerve, with a focus on its impact on perineuronal nets (PNNs) and gene expression changes in the ventral cochlear nuclei (VCN).
methodsSprague-Dawley rats were exposed to white noise at 115 dB SPL for 3 hours per day over 3 weeks. After measuring auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds, rats were treated with fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) for 19 days. Four groups were included (vehicle, fluoxetine, noise + vehicle, and noise + fluoxetine; n = 10 per group). ABR measurements, analysis of extracellular baskets in cochlear ribbon synapses and PNNs, and RNA sequencing of the VCN were performed.
resultsFollowing fluoxetine treatment, noise-exposed rats (noise + fluoxetine group) showed hearing thresholds comparable to those in the noise + vehicle group. Both noise-exposed groups exhibited cochlear hair cell loss and disorganization. Extracellular baskets surrounding cochlear ribbon synapses were significantly reduced in noise + vehicle rats and were not restored in noise + fluoxetine rats. Aggrecan expression in the VCN was reduced in the noise + fluoxetine group. RNA sequencing revealed upregulation of genes including Mal, Fos, Rapgef3, Papss2, Adamts4, and Heph, and downregulation of genes such as Pde5a, Kcnma1, Nr4a1, Dlgap3, Slc18a2, and Dgkg.
conclusionFluoxetine exerted only modest, 4 kHz‑restricted improvements in ABR thresholds and did not restore cochlear structure or normal hearing following noise‑induced hearing loss. However, it induced distinct transcriptional alterations in the VCN and modulated the extracellular environment, suggesting a potential role in neural remodeling rather than direct auditory restoration.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.