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Cortical Reorganisation during a 30-Week Tinnitus Treatment Program.
Catherine M McMahon1,2, Ronny K Ibrahim1,2, Ankit Mathur1,2
1Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Plos One
|February 23, 2016
Summary
This study found that tinnitus treatment may reduce brain map disruptions but not the underlying enhanced neural activity. Subjective tinnitus perception changes might precede objective brain response changes during treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Clinical Neuroscience
Background:
- Subjective tinnitus involves phantom sound perception.
- Chronic tinnitus is linked to disrupted cortical tonotopic maps and altered brain activity.
- Understanding tinnitus-related neural changes is crucial for effective treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- Compare sound-evoked brain responses and cortical tonotopic maps in individuals with and without tinnitus.
- Investigate neural changes during a 30-week tinnitus treatment program.
- Correlate objective neurophysiological changes with subjective tinnitus perception.
Main Methods:
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings in 12 tinnitus patients and 10 controls.
- Auditory stimulation with tones at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz.
- Longitudinal data collection over 30 weeks of tinnitus treatment.
Main Results:
- Tinnitus participants showed larger, more anteriorly located auditory cortical sources at 500/1000 Hz.
- Source locations shifted towards controls during treatment, but source strength remained elevated.
- Subjective tinnitus improvements showed a time-shifted association with objective neurophysiological changes.
Conclusions:
- Tinnitus is associated with enhanced central gain, potentially linked to hearing loss, which treatment does not significantly alter.
- Tinnitus treatment may reduce disruptions in tonotopic maps, suggesting a direct or indirect effect on the tinnitus percept.
- Perceptual improvements during treatment may precede measurable neurophysiological changes.
