AUTHOR=Murillo-Cuesta Silvia , Rodríguez-de La Rosa Lourdes , Lassaleta Luis , Cediel Rafael , Varela-Nieto Isabel TITLE=The Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I in the Physiopathology of Hearing JOURNAL=Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience VOLUME=4 YEAR=2011 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2011.00011 DOI=10.3389/fnmol.2011.00011 ISSN=1662-5099 ABSTRACT=
Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) belongs to the family of polypeptides of insulin, which play a central role in embryonic development and adult nervous system homeostasis by endocrine, autocrine, and paracrine mechanisms. IGF-I is fundamental for the regulation of cochlear development, growth, and differentiation, and its mutations are associated with hearing loss in mice and men. Low levels of IGF-I have been shown to correlate with different human syndromes showing hearing loss and with presbyacusis. Animal models are fundamental to understand the genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors that contribute to human hearing loss. In the mouse, IGF-I serum levels decrease with aging and there is a concomitant hearing loss and retinal degeneration. In the