Tinnitus aurium in persons with normal hearing: 55 years later

Otolaryngology--Head and Neck …, 2008

The purpose of this study was to study the effect of attention and sustained silence on the emergence of auditory phantom perception in normal-hearing adults. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: While sitting in a sound booth, 66 volunteers (age range, 18-65; mean age, 37.3) performed 3 experiments of 5 minutes each, consecutively and randomly presented. Two deviated attention from auditory system (Hanoi and visual attention experiments), and 1 drove attention to the auditory system (auditory attention). After each experiment, participants were asked about their auditory and visual perception. No sound or light change was given at any moment. RESULTS: Of the participants, 19.7% experienced tinnitus during Hanoi, 45.5% during visual attention, and 68.2% during auditory attention experiment, with no significant differences for studied variables. CONCLUSION: Tinnitus-like perceptions may occur in a nonclinical population in a silent environment. Concomitant auditory attention plays an important role on the emergence of tinnitus.

Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2005

OBJECTIVE: The effect of sustained silence was studied on the emergence of tinnitus perception in 120 normal hearing young adult Caucasians and African Americans.

Neuroscience Research, 1990

Phantom auditory perception -tinnitus -is a symptom of many pathologies. Although there are a number of theories postulating certain mechanisms of its generation, none have been proven yet. This paper analyses the phenomenon of tinnitus from the point of view of general neurophysiology. Existing theories and their extrapolation are presented, together with some new potential mechanisms of tinnitus generation, encompassing the involvement of calcium an d calcium c hannels in co chlear functio n, with implications for malfunction and aging of the auditory and vestibular systems.

Seminars in Hearing, 2012

The phenomenology and neural bases of phantom auditory perceptions are reviewed. A variety of phantom auditory phenomena are discussed, from tinnitus to hearing voices. It is claimed that the phenomenology or qualia of the hallucinatory experience may correspond to how the auditory system is organized into functional regions (neural architecture) and how auditory percepts are represented at the single neuron level within this system. There may be a one-toone correspondence between the type of experience (e.g., hearing a tone versus hearing a voice) and the representational qualities or aspects of sound representation in different parts of the auditory and speech processing stream or system. The literature does not support the supposition that certain features of auditory hallucinations correspond to either neurological or psychiatric disease. Clinical aspects of auditory hallucinations also are discussed that may be of interest to clinical practitioners with patients who have auditory hallucinations.

European Archives of Oto-rhino-laryngology

We aim to assess the correlation between audiometric data, and psychotic and acoustic measures associated with subjective tinnitus (ST) and to clarify the importance of the psychological process in determining the degree of subjective annoyance and disability due to tinnitus. Fifty-four patients experiencing unilateral ST were allocated for the study. Acoustic assessment of patients including LDL (loudness discomfort levels), MML (minimum masking level) and RI (residual inhibition) was performed. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) tests were performed for the psychological aspects of subjective annoyance. RI was positive in 23 patients with 13 frequency-matched stimuli at 8,000 Hz. Masking treatment response was successful in 16 RI-positive patients. Mean and standard deviation (SD) of THI scores were 38.77 ± 23.63. Ten patients (%18.51) with tinnitus had ≥17 points score, which was significant for BDI. Mean and SD were 5.01 ± 2.31 for VAS-1 scores (severity of tinnitus), 7.98 ± 2.79 for VAS-2 (frequency and duration of tinnitus), 5.77 ± 2.72 for VAS-3 (discomfort level), 3.56 ± 3.30 for VAS-4 (attention deficit) and 3.31 ± 3.31 for VAS-5 (sleep disorders). A significant correlation was found between the tinnitus duration time, age, gender and THI scores (P P > 0.05). RI might be largely frequency dependent and was found as an indicator for the masking treatment response. We did not notice statistically significant correlations between audiometric data and THI and BDI. There were correlations between with VAS and LDL and with MML and RI. VAS was simpler and easier for the assessment of ST. We should consider the psychological aspects of ST and assess it as a symptom separately with acoustic and psychotic tests.

Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2018

Tinnitus is the conscious perception of a sound without a corresponding external acoustic stimulus, usually described as a phantom perception. One of the major challenges for tinnitus research is to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms triggering and maintaining the symptoms, especially for subjective chronic tinnitus. Our objective was to synthesize the published literature in order to provide a comprehensive update on theoretical and experimental advances and to identify further research and clinical directions. We performed literature searches in three electronic databases, complemented by scanning reference lists from relevant reviews in our included records, citation searching of the included articles using Web of Science, and manual searching of the last 6 months of principal otology journals. One-hundred and thirtytwo records were included in the review and the information related to peripheral and central mechanisms of tinnitus pathophysiology was collected in order to update on theories and models. A narrative synthesis examined the main themes arising from this information. Tinnitus pathophysiology is complex and multifactorial, involving the auditory and non-auditory systems. Recent theories assume the necessary involvement of extra-auditory brain regions for tinnitus to reach consciousness. Tinnitus engages multiple active dynamic and overlapping networks. We conclude that advancing knowledge concerning the origin and maintenance of specific tinnitus subtypes origin and maintenance mechanisms is of paramount importance for identifying adequate treatment.

The International Tinnitus Journal, 2014

Tinnitus is the perception of a sound without an external source. It can affect auditory perception abilities in individuals with normal hearing sensitivity. Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of tinnitus on psychoacoustic abilities in individuals with normal hearing sensitivity. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on twenty subjects with tinnitus and twenty subjects without tinnitus. Tinnitus group was again divided into mild and moderate tinnitus based on the tinnitus handicap inventory. Data Collection and Analysis: Differential limen of intensity, differential limen of frequency, gap detection test, modulation detection thresholds were done through the mlp toolbox in Matlab and speech in noise test was done with the help of Quick SIN in Kannada. Results: Results of the study showed that the clinical group performed poorly in all the tests except for differential limen of intensity. Conclusions: Tinnitus affects aspects of auditory perception like temporal resolution, speech perception in noise and frequency discrimination in individuals with normal hearing. This could be due to subtle changes in the central auditory system which is not reflected in the pure tone audiogram.

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 2012

Tinnitus-the perception of sound in the absence of an actual external sound-represents a symptom of an underlying condition rather than a single disease. Several theories have been proposed to explain the mechanisms underlying tinnitus. Tinnitus generators are theoretically located in the auditory pathway, and such generators and various mechanisms occurring in the peripheral auditory system have been explained in terms of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions, edge theory, and discordant theory. Those present in the central auditory system have been explained in terms of the dorsal cochlear nucleus, the auditory plasticity theory, the crosstalk theory, the somatosensory system, and the limbic and autonomic nervous systems. Treatments for tinnitus include pharmacotherapy, cognitive and behavioral therapy, sound therapy, music therapy, tinnitus retraining therapy, massage and stretching, and electrical suppression. This paper reviews the characteristics, causes, mechanisms, and treatments of tinnitus.