Electroencephalographic changes induced by a noise generator in tinnitus patients and healthy controls

The present study was conducted in an attempt to determine whether noise generators (NGs) induce changes of electroencephalographic activity in healthy control subjects and in subjects suffering from tinnitus. The results indicated that the application of an NG, irrespective of its placement, induced a significant increase of the average total power in both the female and male tinnitus groups. However, no significant changes were observed for the male control group. A weak increase of average total power was noted for the female control group with the NG placed either in the left or the right ear. The NG induced significant changes of average power in different frequency bands. In conclusion, the NG-induced electroencephalographic changes were dependent on gender, tinnitus location, and placement of the NG.