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Hyperacusis-associated pathological resting-state brain oscillations in the tinnitus brain: a hyperresponsiveness
Jae-Jin Song1, Dirk De Ridder, Nathan Weisz
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Yun-Kun Dong 28, Chong-No Gu, Seoul, 110-744, Korea, jjsong96@gmail.com.
Brain Structure & Function
|April 24, 2013
Summary
Resting-state brain activity in hyperacusis reveals heightened neural oscillations in the orbitofrontal cortex and auditory cortex. These changes may indicate increased vigilance and top-down inhibition in individuals with hyperacusis and tinnitus.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Clinical Neuroscience
Background:
- Hyperacusis, characterized by hypersensitivity to non-noxious sounds, is a common yet poorly understood symptom.
- While sound-evoked, the underlying resting-state brain activity in hyperacusis has not been investigated.
- Tinnitus often co-occurs with hyperacusis, necessitating studies that differentiate their neural correlates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore characteristic resting-state cortical activity in hyperacusis.
- To investigate potential differences in brain oscillations between individuals with tinnitus and hyperacusis (T+H+) and those with tinnitus but without hyperacusis (T+H-).
- To identify neural networks associated with hyperacusis severity.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) source localization and functional connectivity analyses were employed.
- Participants included 17 individuals with tinnitus and hyperacusis (T+H+) and 17 with tinnitus but without hyperacusis (T+H-), matched for tinnitus characteristics.
- Correlation analysis linked hyperacusis severity scores with specific brain oscillatory powers.
Main Results:
- The T+H+ group exhibited increased beta power in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and increased alpha power in the right auditory cortex (AC) compared to the T+H- group.
- Hyperacusis severity correlated positively with beta power in the OFC and dACC, and alpha1 power in the right AC.
- Increased functional connectivity was observed between the OFC/dACC and the AC in the T+H+ group.
Conclusions:
- Increased beta power in the OFC/dACC suggests heightened resting-state vigilance in tinnitus patients with hyperacusis.
- Elevated alpha power in the AC may represent adaptive top-down inhibition, potentially mediated by OFC activity.
- The OFC/dACC and AC network may underlie the hyperresponsiveness characteristic of hyperacusis, similar to networks implicated in allodynia and hyperalgesia.
