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Thalamocortical Dysrhythmia: A Theoretical Update in Tinnitus
Dirk De Ridder1, Sven Vanneste2, Berthold Langguth3
1BRAI2N, Section of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago , Dunedin , New Zealand.
Frontiers in Neurology
|June 25, 2015
Summary
Tinnitus, the perception of sound without an external source, may stem from auditory deafferentation. This leads to thalamocortical dysrhythmia (TCD), an adaptive brain mechanism to retrieve missing auditory information.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Tinnitus is characterized by the perception of sound without an external source.
- Pathophysiologically, tinnitus is linked to auditory deafferentation and/or top-down noise-cancelling deficits.
- These mechanisms are proposed to disrupt auditory thalamocortical signal transmission, causing thalamocortical dysrhythmia (TCD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying tinnitus.
- To investigate the role of thalamocortical dysrhythmia (TCD) in tinnitus.
- To understand how TCD functions as an adaptive mechanism for retrieving missing auditory information.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of electrophysiological activity, including alpha, theta, and gamma oscillations.
- Examination of cross-frequency coupling, specifically theta-gamma and beta-gamma coupling.
- Application of the global workspace model and Bayesian brain principles to interpret findings.
Main Results:
- Deafferentation in tinnitus is associated with altered TCD, characterized by slowed alpha to theta activity and increased gamma activity.
- Persistent theta-gamma coupling is observed, potentially integrating tinnitus-related gamma activity into consciousness networks.
- TCD may involve parahippocampocortical pathways for retrieving auditory information when deafferentation is extensive.
Conclusions:
- Thalamocortical dysrhythmia (TCD) is a key pathophysiological feature of tinnitus.
- TCD represents an adaptive brain mechanism attempting to compensate for missing auditory input.
- The brain's predictive coding framework suggests tinnitus arises from prediction errors due to reduced sensory updating.
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