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Related Concept Videos

Hearing01:31

Hearing

When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location01:21

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...
Auditory Perception01:17

Auditory Perception

The auditory system is essential for sound perception, utilizing various critical structures. When sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then transmitted to the middle ear, where three tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – amplify the sound. This amplification is crucial, as it ensures that the sound vibrations are strong enough to be conveyed to the inner ear. These vibrations then reach the cochlea, a...
Perception of Sound Waves01:01

Perception of Sound Waves

The human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies in the audible range. It may perceive sound waves with the same pressure but different frequencies as having different loudness. Moreover, the perception of sound waves depends on the health of an individual's ears, which decays with age. The health of one's ears may also be affected by regular exposure to loud noises.
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same frequency...
The Auditory Ossicles01:11

The Auditory Ossicles

The auditory ossicles of the middle ear transmit sounds from the air as vibrations to the fluid-filled cochlea. The auditory ossicles consist of two malleus (hammer) bones, two incus (anvil) bones, and two stapes (stirrups), one on each side. These bones develop during the fetal stage and are the ones to ossify first. They are fully mature at birth and do not grow afterward.
The aptly named stapes look very much like a stirrup. The three ossicles are unique to mammals, and each plays a role in...
Auditory Pathway01:15

Auditory Pathway

Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...

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Tinnitus and tinnitus disorder: Theoretical and operational definitions (an international multidisciplinary proposal).

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Published on: August 24, 2017

Tinnitus: presence and future.

Aage R Møller1

  • 1School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75083-0688, USA. amoller@utdallas.edu

Progress in Brain Research
|October 25, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Subjective tinnitus, a phantom sound sensation, arises from abnormal neural activity, often linked to hearing loss. Finding a single cure is unlikely due to tinnitus

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Otolaryngology
  • Auditory Science

Background:

  • Tinnitus is a phantom auditory sensation with diverse forms, including objective (body-generated sound) and subjective (no external sound source) types.
  • Subjective tinnitus is frequently associated with hearing loss, noise exposure, certain medications, and age-related hearing decline (presbycusis).
  • Conditions like Ménière's disease and vestibular Schwannoma often present with tinnitus, which can be unilateral, bilateral, or perceived centrally.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the multifaceted nature of subjective tinnitus and its underlying physiological mechanisms.
  • To highlight the role of neural plasticity in the development of chronic subjective tinnitus.
  • To underscore the challenges in developing a universal cure and testing new treatments due to tinnitus heterogeneity.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing evidence on the pathophysiology of subjective tinnitus.
  • Analysis of the relationship between tinnitus, hearing loss, and neurological conditions.
  • Examination of the role of neural plasticity, excitation-inhibition balance, and pathway reorganization.

Main Results:

  • The anatomical source of chronic subjective tinnitus is typically within the auditory nervous system, not the ear itself.
  • Neural plasticity significantly contributes to tinnitus by altering neural activity, promoting hyperactivity, and causing nervous system reorganization.
  • Pathophysiological differences may exist between unilateral and bilateral tinnitus.

Conclusions:

  • A singular cure for all forms of tinnitus is improbable given its diverse etiologies and manifestations.
  • The heterogeneity of tinnitus complicates the development and testing of effective, broadly applicable treatments.
  • Further research differentiating tinnitus subtypes is crucial for advancing therapeutic strategies.