I believe AMPK is upregulated by low energy diets.
ScienceDaily: Can You Hear Me Now? New Strategy Discovered to Prevent Hearing Loss
If you're concerned about losing your hearing because of noise exposure (earbud deafness syndrome), a new discovery published online in the FASEB Journal offers some hope. That's because scientists from Germany and Canada show that the protein,AMPK, which protects cells during a lack of energy, also activates a channel protein in the cell membrane that allows potassium to leave the cell. This activity is important because this mechanism helps protect sensory cells in the inner ear from permanent damage following acoustic noise exposure.
"When it comes to preventing hearing loss, keeping the volume down is still the best strategy, and this discovery doesn't prevent loud music from beating on our ear drums," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal. "This discovery does help explain why some people seem more likely to lose their hearing than others. At the same time, it also provides a target for new preventive strategies -- and perhaps even a treatment -- for earbud deafness syndrome."
