Abstract
Presbycusis is one of the most interesting problem in gerontology.
But the exact nature of it is still obscure.
The author examined the temporal bones and central auditory pathways of 105 autopsy cases of which 35 cases were checked audiometrically before death, and compaired functional and morphological data with reasonable acuracy.
The most conspicuous pathological findings obtained were spiral ganglion atrophy, cerebral degeneration i.e. softening, and lumen narrowing of internal auditory artery.
The types of hearing loss in presbycusis coincided well with the spiral ganglion atrophy, and “level down” of auditory acuity in whole frequency range was supposed to be due to the effect of cerebral degeneration.
The significance of senile atrophy and arteriosclerosis on the development of presbycusis was discussed.
