Early continuous white noise exposure alters l‐α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole propionic acid receptor subunit glutamate receptor 2 and γ‐aminobutyric acid type a receptor subunit β3 protein expression in rat auditory cortex

Auditory experience during the postnatal critical period is essential for the normal maturation of auditory function. Previous studies have shown that rearing infant rat pups under conditions of continuous moderate‐level noise delayed the emergence of adult‐like topographic representational order and the refinement of response selectivity in the primary auditory cortex (A1) beyond normal developmental benchmarks and indefinitely blocked the closure of a brief, critical‐period window. To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms of these physiological changes after noise rearing, we studied expression of the AMPA receptor subunit GluR2 and GABA_A receptor subunit β3 in the auditory cortex after noise rearing. Our results show that continuous moderate‐level noise rearing during the early stages of development decreases the expression levels of GluR2 and GABA_Aβ3. Furthermore, noise rearing also induced a significant decrease in the level of GABA_A receptors relative to AMPA receptors. However, in adult rats, noise rearing did not have significant effects on GluR2 and GABA_Aβ3 expression or the ratio between the two units. These changes could have a role in the cellular mechanisms involved in the delayed maturation of auditory receptive field structure and topographic organization of A1 after noise rearing. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.