Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is widely used to treat vestibular schwannomas but may cause irreversible hearing loss due to cochlear toxicity. The underlying mechanisms are not fully understood, and no effective otoprotective therapies exist. We aimed to establish a mouse model that replicates the clinical pattern of radiation-induced hearing loss.
Preclinical animal model only — no actionable change for clinical practice; the model may accelerate future research into hearing-protective strategies during radiosurgery, but no human data are available yet.
Radiation-induced hearing loss after vestibular schwannoma treatment is a significant clinical problem with no established protective intervention; a validated animal model is a critical step toward developing otoprotective strategies.
- 01A new mouse model replicates cochlear toxicity and irreversible hearing loss from stereotactic radiosurgery.
- 02Model is designed to be 'translationally relevant' — mirroring what is seen in human patients treated for vestibular schwannoma.
- 03Vestibular schwannoma radiosurgery is a common cause of treatment-induced hearing loss in adults.
- 04Animal models are needed to test potential otoprotective drugs before human trials.
- 05No clinical application can be drawn from this preclinical study at this stage.
The introduced mouse model replicates radiosurgery-induced cochlear toxicity and irreversible hearing loss seen in humans treated for vestibular schwannoma.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42182064
- DOI
- 10.3389/fnins.2026.1748309.
- Journal
- Frontiers in Neuroscience
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- Mouse model of radiosurgery-induced unilateral hearing loss (animal study)
- Intervention
- Stereotactic radiosurgery to the cochlea/auditory nerve in mice
Primary outcomes
Cochlear toxicity; Degree and permanence of hearing loss induced by radiosurgery