Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) is common in humans and can be caused by a dysfunction of the peripheral and central auditory system. Jenny and Binghan here compare auditory cortex circuits in vitro in adult and aged CBA mice, which retain an intact peripheral auditory system into old age. They find a sex-specific reduction in excitatory and inhibitory intralaminar cortical circuits in the aged mice that might underlie the differential functional manifestations of age-related hearing loss in both males and females. Read details here in eNeuro.