Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 27, 2025

A Protocol for the Administration of Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback Training
Published on: August 24, 2017
Age-related change of auditory functional connectivity in Human Connectome Project data and tinnitus patients
Shujiro B Minami1,2, Naoki Oishi3, Takahisa Watabe3
1National Hospital Organization Tokyo Medical Center National Institute of Sensory Organs Meguro City Tokyo Japan.
Background:
We reported that tinnitus patients showed reduced levels of auditory functional connectivity (FC) in comparison with normal hearing control subjects, and that we succeeded in objective diagnosis of tinnitus with 86% sensitivity and 74% specificity by focusing only on auditory-related FC. However, the age-related change of auditory FC is not clarified. In this study, we examine age-related change of the auditory FC using the database of Human Connectome Project (HCP) and compared with our database of tinnitus patients.
Method:
From the HCP database HCP Lifespan Pilot project, we studied five age groups, 8 to 9 years old, 14 to 15, 25 to 35, 45 to 55, and 65 to 75. We also applied our tinnitus patients' resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) database, which is divided into three generations; 20 to 40 years old, 40 to 60, and 60 to 80 to compare with the HCP database. The resting state fMRI analyses were performed using the CONN toolbox version 18. As auditory-related regions, Heschl's gyrus, planum temporale, planum polare, operculum, insular cortex, and superior temporal gyrus were set as the regions of interest from our previous reports.
Result:
Auditory FC is strongest among adolescents and reduces with age. But the auditory FC of tinnitus patients were significantly less than those of HCP data in each generation.
Conclusion:
Although auditory FC decreases with age, tinnitus patients have less auditory FC compared with age-matched controls. The age-matched cutoff values are necessary for an objective diagnosis of tinnitus with resting state fMRI.
Related Concept Videos
Hearing
Auditory Pathway
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking...
The Cochlea
Perception of Sound Waves
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same...
Auditory Perception
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
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...

