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A Protocol for the Administration of Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback Training
Published on: August 24, 2017
Neural plasticity expressed in central auditory structures with and without tinnitus.
Larry E Roberts1, Daniel J Bosnyak, David C Thompson
1Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton ON, Canada.
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
|June 2, 2012
Summary
Auditory training shows that the brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Tinnitus Research
Background:
- Sensory training for tinnitus assumes auditory training can modify neural responses in auditory pathways.
- Neural changes associated with tinnitus may impact the effectiveness of auditory training.
- Understanding brain plasticity in tinnitus is crucial for developing effective therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if brain changes from sensory training in tinnitus patients mirror those in non-tinnitus controls.
- To compare electroencephalography (EEG) responses between tinnitus sufferers and controls undergoing auditory training.
- To assess the impact of auditory training on neural plasticity in primary and non-primary auditory cortex.
Main Methods:
- Participants with tinnitus and age/hearing-matched controls underwent auditory training using a 5 kHz 40-Hz amplitude-modulated (AM) sound.
- Electroencephalography (EEG) measured the 40-Hz auditory steady-state response (ASSR) and P2 transient response.
- Changes in ASSR and P2 amplitude and phase were analyzed before and after training.
Main Results:
- P2 amplitude increased similarly in both groups, indicating normal remodeling of non-primary auditory cortex.
- Auditory training altered the ASSR differently: controls showed reduced phase delay, while tinnitus patients showed increased amplitude.
- ASSR phase did not significantly change with training in the tinnitus group, unlike controls.
Conclusions:
- Neural changes in tinnitus alter the expression of neural plasticity in the primary auditory cortex but not the non-primary auditory cortex.
- Auditory training did not significantly reduce tinnitus loudness, though a minor effect on the tinnitus spectrum was observed.
- Findings suggest differential effects of tinnitus on brain plasticity, impacting auditory training outcomes.
Related Concept Videos
01:01Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
01:31Hearing
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.
01:15Auditory 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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01:13The Cochlea
The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.
01:21Perceiving 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...
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01:16Anatomy of the Ear
Auditory sensation, commonly called hearing, involves the transformation of sonic waves into neural impulses facilitated by the structures of the auditory organ. The prominent, flesh-like structure on the side of the head, called the auricle, directs sound waves towards the auditory canal. The auricle is often mislabeled as the pinna, a term more aligned with mobile structures like a feline's external ear. The auditory canal penetrates the cranium via the external auditory meatus of the...