Elimination of presynaptic elements often results in marked changes, such as atrophy and death, in postsynaptic neurons in the central nervous system. These transneuronal changes are particularly rapid and profound in young animals. In order to understand the cellular events underlying transneuronal regulation it is necessary to explore changes in the local environment of neurons following manipulations of their afferents. In previous investigations we have documented a variety of rapid and marked cellular changes in neurons of the cochlear nucleus of neonatal chicks (n. magnocellularis) following cochlea removal. In adult chickens, however, these transneuronal changes are either absent or minor. The goals of the studies presented here were to examine changes in the electrical activity of nucleus magnocellularis cells and their afferents following removal of the cochlea and to determine if these changes were similar in adult and neonatal animals. Two measures of electrical activity were used; multiunit recording with microelectrodes and incorporation of radiolabeled 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG). Microelectrode recordings revealed high levels of spontaneous activity in n. magnocellularis and n. laminaris, the binaural target of n. magnocellularis neurons. Neither puncturing of the tympanic membrane nor removal of the columella causes significant changes in spontaneous activity, although the latter results in a profound hearing loss (40-50 dB). Removal of the cochlea, on the other hand, results in immediate cessation of all extracellular electrical activity in the ipsilateral n. magnocellularis. Recordings from the same location for up to 6 h failed to reveal any return of spontaneous activity. When the electrode tip was placed in n. laminaris, unilateral cochlea removal had no discernible effect on extracellularly recorded spontaneous activity, probably due to the high levels of excitatory input from the intact ear. Bilateral cochlea removal, however, completely eliminated activity in n. laminaris. 2-DG studies conducted 1 h to 8 days following unilateral cochlea removal revealed marked decreases in 2-DG incorporation in the ipsilateral n. magnocellularis and bilaterally in the n. laminaris target of the ablated cochlea. No compensatory return of 2-DG incorporation was observed for up to 8 days. Comparisons of adult and neonatal chicks failed to reveal significant differences in the effects of cochlea removal on multiunit activity or 2-DG incorporation, suggesting that age differences in transneuronal regulation are due to intrinsic biochemical differences in young and adult neurons rather than differences in the proportion of synaptic input that has been abolished.