Figure 2
Sex differences in ABR threshold and suprathreshold wave-I amplitude shift after different levels of noise exposure. 8-week-old female (black) and male (red) CBA/J mice were exposed to 2 h, 8–16 kHz octave-band noise at the indicated sound pressure levels. ABRs were measured at baseline, 1 (dashed lines), and 21 (solid lines) days post noise exposure (PNE). Shifts in ABR thresholds (A) and suprathreshold wave-I amplitudes (B) relative to baseline were measured. 3-way ANOVA for sex, frequency, and noise exposure level indicated significant main effects of each factor on ABR threshold shift at PNE1, and on both threshold and wave-I shifts at PNE21, and interaction between sex and noise exposure level (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). Subgroup analysis at each noise-exposure level with 2-way ANOVA for sex and frequency revealed significant effect of sex at PNE21 on ABR threshold at 97.8 dB (p = 0.02) and 100.7 dB (p = 0.005), but not at 94.3, and on wave-I amplitude at 97.8 dB only (p = 0.02).
